Tobie 1

1Tobie, de la tribu et d’une ville de Nephthali, qui est dans la Galilée supérieure, au-dessus de Naasson, derrière le chemin qui va au couchant, ayant à gauche la ville de Séphet,

2fut emmené captif au temps de Salmanasar, roi des Assyriens ; et, dans sa captivité même, il n’abandonna pas le chemin de la vérité.

3Tous les jours, il distribuait à ses frères, ceux de sa nation, captifs comme lui, tout ce dont il pouvait disposer.

4Et alors même qu’il était le plus jeune de ceux de la tribu de Nephthali, il n’y avait rien de juvénile en sa conduite.,

5Aussi, tandis que tout le monde allait adorer les veaux d’or que Jéroboam, roi d’Israël, avait faits, lui seul fuyait la compagnie de tous,

6et il se rendait à Jérusalem, au temple du Seigneur où il adorait le Seigneur, Dieu d’Israël, offrant fidèlement les prémices et les dîmes de ses biens.

7Tous les trois ans, il distribuait aux prosélytes et aux étrangers toute sa dîme.

8Il observait ces choses et d’autres semblables, selon la loi de Dieu, dès son jeune âge.

9Parvenu à l’âge d’homme, il épousa une femme de sa tribu, nommée Anne ; et il en eut un fils auquel il donna son nom,

10et qu’il instruisit dès l’enfance à craindre Dieu et à s’abstenir de tout péché.

11Lors donc qu’il fut arrivé comme captif, avec sa femme et son fils, en la ville de Ninive, où était toute sa tribu,

12bien que tous les autres mangeassent des mets des païens, il garda son âme pure, et jamais il ne se souilla par leurs viandes.

13Et parce qu’il se souvenait fidèlement du Seigneur, Dieu lui concilia la faveur du roi Salmanasar,

14qui lui donna pouvoir d’aller partout où il voudrait, avec liberté de faire ce qu’il lui plairait.

15Il allait donc visiter tous ceux qui étaient captifs et leur donnait des conseils salutaires.

16Etant une fois allé à Ragès, ville des Mèdes, avec dix talents, provenant des largesses dont le roi l’avait enrichi,

17il vit, parmi le grand nombre de ses compatriotes, un homme de sa tribu, nommé Gabélus, qui était dans le besoin, et il lui donna contre un reçu cette somme d’argent.

18Longtemps après, le roi Salmanasar étant mort, Sennachérib, son fils, régna à sa place. Comme ce prince avait une grande haine contre les enfants d’Israël,

19Tobie allait visiter chaque jour tous ceux de sa parenté ; il les consolait et distribuait de ses biens à chacun, selon son pouvoir ;

20il donnait à manger à ceux qui avaient faim, procurait des vêtements à ceux qui étaient nus et mettait un grand zèle à donner la sépulture à ceux qui étaient morts ou qui avaient été tués.

21Lorsque le roi Sennachérib, revenu de Judée en fugitif, après la défaite dont Dieu l’avait frappé pour ses blasphèmes, faisait mettre à mort, dans sa fureur, un grand nombre des enfants d’Israël, Tobie enterrait les cadavres.

22La nouvelle en ayant été apportée au roi, il ordonna de le mettre à mort et lui ôta tous ses biens.

23Mais Tobie prit la fuite avec son fils et sa femme, et, dépouillé de tout, il réussit à se cacher, parce qu’il avait beaucoup d’amis.

24Quarante-cinq jours après, le roi fut tué par ses propres fils.

25Alors Tobie revint dans sa maison, et tous ses biens lui furent rendus.

1Tobias ex tribu et civitate Nephthali (quæ est in superioribus Galilææ supra Naasson, post viam quæ ducit ad occidentem, in sinistro habens civitatem Sephet)

2cum captus esset in diebus Salmanasar regis Assyriorum, in captivitate tamen positus, viam veritatis non deseruit,

3ita ut omnia quæ habere poterat, quotidie concaptivis fratribus, qui erant ex ejus genere, impertiret.

4Cumque esset junior omnibus in tribu Nephthali, nihil tamen puerile gessit in opere.

5Denique, cum irent omnes ad vitulos aureos quos Jeroboam fecerat rex Israël, hic solus fugiebat consortia omnium.

6Sed pergebat in Jerusalem ad templum Domini, et ibi adorabat Dominum Deum Israël, omnia primitiva sua et decimas suas fideliter offerens,

7ita ut in tertio anno proselytis et advenis ministraret omnem decimationem.

8Hæc et his similia secundum legem Dei puerulus observabat.

9Cum vero factus esset vir, accepit uxorem Annam de tribu sua, genuitque ex ea filium, nomen suum imponens ei:

10quem ab infantia timere Deum docuit, et abstinere ab omni peccato.

11Igitur, cum per captivitatem devenisset cum uxore sua et filio in civitatem Niniven cum omni tribu sua

12(cum omnes ederent ex cibis gentilium), iste custodivit animam suam, et numquam contaminatus est in escis eorum.

13Et quoniam memor fuit Domini in toto corde suo, dedit illi Deus gratiam in conspectu Salmanasar regis,

14et dedit illi potestatem quocumque vellet ire, habens libertatem quæcumque facere voluisset.

15Pergebat ergo ad omnes qui erant in captivitate, et monita salutis dabat eis.

16Cum autem venisset in Rages civitatem Medorum, et ex his quibus honoratus fuerat a rege, habuisset decem talenta argenti:

17et cum in multa turba generis sui Gabelum egentem videret, qui erat ex tribu ejus, sub chirographo dedit illi memoratum pondus argenti.

18Post multum vero temporis, mortuo Salmanasar rege, cum regnaret Sennacherib filius ejus pro eo, et filios Israël exosos haberet in conspectu suo,

19Tobias quotidie pergebat per omnem cognationem suam, et consolabatur eos, dividebatque unicuique, prout poterat, de facultatibus suis:

20esurientes alebat, nudisque vestimenta præbebat, et mortuis atque occisis sepulturam sollicitus exhibebat.

21Denique cum reversus esset rex Sennacherib, fugiens a Judæa plagam quam circa eum fecerat Deus propter blasphemiam suam, et iratus multos occideret ex filiis Israël, Tobias sepeliebat corpora eorum.

22At ubi nuntiatum est regi, jussit eum occidi, et tulit omnem substantiam ejus.

23Tobias vero cum filio suo et cum uxore suo fugiens, nudus latuit, quia multi diligebant eum.

24Post dies vero quadraginta quinque occiderunt regem filii ipsius,

25et reversus est Tobias in domum suam, omnisque facultas ejus restituta est ei.

1Tobias of the tribe and city of Nephtali, (which is in the upper parts of Galilee above Naasson, beyond the way that leadeth to the west, having on the right hand the city of Sephet,)

2When he was made captive in the days of Salmanasar king of the Assyrians, even in his captivity, forsook not the way of truth,

3But every day gave all he could get to his brethren his fellow captives, that were of his kindred.

4And when he was younger than any of the tribe of Nephtali, yet did he no childish thing in his work.

5Moreover when all went to the golden calves which Jeroboam king of Israel had made, he alone fled the company of all,

6And went to Jerusalem to the temple of the Lord, and there adored the Lord God of Israel, offering faithfully all his firstfruits, and his tithes,

7So that in the third year he gave all his tithes to the proselytes, and strangers.

8These and such like things did he observe when but a boy according to the law of God.

9But when he was a man, he took to wife Anna of his own tribe, and had a son by her, whom he called after his own name,

10And from his infancy he taught him to fear God, and to abstain from all sin.

11And when by the captivity he with his wife and his son and all his tribe was come to the city of Ninive,

12(When all ate of the meats of the Gentiles) he kept his soul and never was defiled with their meats.

13And because he was mindful of the Lord with all his heart, God gave him favour in the sight of Salmanasar the king.

14And he gave him leave to go whithersoever he would, with liberty to do whatever he had a mind.

15He therefore went to all that were in captivity, and gave them wholesome admonitions.

16And when he was come to Rages a city of the Medes, and had ten talents of silver of that with which he had been honoured by the king:

17And when amongst a great multitude of his kindred, he saw Gabelus in want, who was one of his tribe, taking a note of his hand he gave him the aforesaid sum of money.

18But after a long time, Salmanasar the king being dead, when Sennacherib his son, who reigned in his place, had a hatred for the children of Israel:

19Tobias daily went among all his kindred, and comforted them, and distributed to every one as he was able, out of his goods:

20He fed the hungry, and gave clothes to the naked, and was careful to bury the dead, and they that were slain.

21And when king Sennacherib was come back, fleeing from Judea by reason of the slaughter that God had made about him for his blasphemy, and being angry slew many of the children of Israel, Tobias buried their bodies.

22But when it was told the king, he commanded him to be slain, and took away all his substance.

23But Tobias fleeing naked away with his son and with his wife, lay concealed, for many loved him.

24But after forty-five days, the king was killed by his own sons.

25And Tobias returned to his house, and all his substance was restored to him.