Chapter 4

Tobit

1In that day Tobit remembred the siluer, which hee had deliuered to Gabael in Rages a citie of Media, 2And sayde with himselfe, I haue wished for death: wherefore do I not call for my sonne Tobias that I may admonish him before I die? 3And whe he had called him, he said, My sone, after that I am dead, bury me, and despise not thy mother, but honour her all the dayes of thy life, and do that which shal please her, & anger her not. 4Remember, my sonne, howe many dangers she susteined when thou wast in her wombe, 5And when she dyeth, bury her by me in the same graue. 6My sonne, set our Lord God alwayes before thine eyes, and let not thy wil be set to sinne or to trasgresse the comandements of God. Do vprightly all thy life long, and followe not the wayes of vnrighteousnesse: for if thou deale truely, thy doings shal prosperously succeede to thee, and to all them which liue iustly. 7Giue almes of thy substance: & when thou giuest almes, let not thine eye be enuious, neyther turne thy face from any poore, lest that God turne his face from thee. 8Giue almes according to thy substace: if thou haue but a litle, be not afrayd to giue a litle almes. 9For thou layest vp a good store for thy selfe against the day of necessitie, 10Because that almes doeth deliuer fro death, and suffreth not to come into darkenesse. 11For almes is a good gifte before the most High to all them which vse it. 12Beware of all whoredome, my sonne, and chiefly take a wife of the seede of thy fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of thy fathers stocke: for wee are the children of the Prophetes. Noe, Abraham, Isaac and Iacob are our fathers from the beginning. Remember my sonne, that they marryed wiues of their owne kinred, and were blessed in their children, and their seede shall inherite the lande. 13Now therefore, my sonne, loue thy brethren, & despise not in thine heart thy brethre, the sonnes and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction, & much trouble, and in fiercenes is scarcitie, and great pouertie: for fiercenes is the mother of famine. 14Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tary with thee, but giue him it out of hand: for if thou serue God, he wil also pay thee: be circumspect, my sonne, in all thinges that thou doest, & be wel instructed in all thy conuersation. 15Do that to no ma which thou hatest: drinke not wine to make thee drunken, neyther let drunkennesse go with thee in thy iourney. 16Giue of thy bread to the hungry, & of thy garments to them that are naked, and of all thine abundance giue almes, and let not thine eye be enuious, when thou giuest almes. 17Powre out thy bread on the buriall of the iust, but giue nothing to the wicked. 18Aske counsell alway of the wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable. 19Blesse thy Lord God alway, & desire of him that thy wayes may be made streight, and that all thy purposes and counsels may prosper: for euery nation hath not counsell: but the Lord giueth all good things, and he humbleth whome he wil, as he will: now therefore, my sonne, remember my commandements, neyther let them at any time be put out of thy minde. 20Furthermore I signifie this to thee, that I deliuered tenne talents to Gabael the sonne of Gabrias at Rages in Media. 21And feare not, my sonne, forasmuch as wee are made poore: for thou hast many things, if thou feare God, & flee from all sinne, and do that thing which is acceptable vnto him.