Tobit 4
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Tobit chapter 4 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
Patristic commentary for this chapter has not yet been attached. Related material may be found among the Church Fathers and the theology tables.
Tobit 4
1In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media,Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐμνήσθη Τωβὶτ περὶ τοῦ ἀργυρίου, οὗ παρέθετο Γαβαὴλ ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας.
2And said with himself, I have wished for death; therefore do I not call for my son Tobias that I may signify to him of the money before I die?Καὶ εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ἐγὼ ᾐτησάμην θάνατον, τί οὐ καλῶ Τωβίαν τὸν υἱόν μου, ἵνα αὐτῷ ὑποδείξω, πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν με;
3And when he had called him, he said, My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not your mother, but honor her all the days of your life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not.Καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν, εἶπε, παιδίον, ἐὰν ἀποθάνω, θάψον με, καὶ μὴ ὑπερίδῃς τὴν μητέρα σου· τίμα αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου, καὶ ποίει τὸ ἀρεστὸν αὐτῇ, καὶ μὴ λυπήσῃς αὐτήν.
4Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for you, when you were in her womb: and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave.Μνήσθητι, παιδίον, ὅτι πολλοὺς κινδύνους ἑώρακεν ἐπὶ σοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ· ὅταν ἀποθάνῃ, θάψον αὐτὴν παρʼ ἐμοὶ ἐν ἑνὶ τάφῳ.
5My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all your days, and let not your will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all your life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness.Πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, παιδίον, Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν μνημόνευε, καὶ μὴ θελήσῃς ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ παραβῆναι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ· δικαιοσύνην ποίει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου, καὶ μὴ πορευθῇς ταῖς ὁδοῖς τῆς ἀδικίας.
6For if you deal truly, your doings shall prosperously succeed to you, and to all them that live justly.Διότι ποιουντός σου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, εὐοδίαι ἔσονται ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην.
7Give alms of your substance; and when you give alms, let not your eye be envious, neither turn your face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from you.Ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων σοι ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην· μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπὸ παντὸς πτωχοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ σοῦ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
7aὩς σοὶ ὑπάρχοι κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος, ποίησον ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐλεημοσύνην· ἐὰν ὀλίγον σοι ὑπάρχῃ, κατὰ τὸ ὀλίγον μὴ φοβοῦ ποιεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην.
7bΘέμα γὰρ ἀγαθὸν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ εἰς ἡμέραν ἀνάγκης.
7cΔιότι ἐλεημοσύνη ἐκ θανάτου ῥύεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐᾴ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ σκότος.
7dΔῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἐλεημοσύνη πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ ὑψίστου.
7eΠρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, παιδίον, ἀπὸ πάσης πορνείας, καὶ γυναῖκα πρῶτον λάβε ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος τῶν πατέρων σου· μὴ λάβῃς γυναῖκα ἀλλοτρίαν, ἣ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ πατέρος σου, διότι υἱοὶ προφητῶν ἐσμέν, Νῶε, Ἁβραάμ, Ἰσαάκ, Ἰακώβ. Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, μνήσθητι, παιδίον, ὅτι αὐτοὶ πάντες ἔλαβον γυναῖκας ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐλογήθησαν ἐν τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν κληρονομήσει γῆν.
7fΚαὶ νῦν, παιδίον, ἀγάπα τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου, καὶ μὴ ὑπερηφανεύου τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου, καὶ τῶν υἱῶν καὶ θυγατέρων τοῦ λαοῦ σου, λαβεῖν σεαυτῷ ἐξ αὐτῶν γυναῖκα· διότι ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ ἀπώλεια καὶ ἀκαταστασία πολλή, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀχρειότητι ἐλάττωσις καὶ ἔνδεια μεγάλη· ἡ γὰρ ἀχρειότης μήτηρ ἐστὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ.
7gΜισθὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ὃς ἐὰν ἐργάσηται, παρὰ σοὶ μὴ αὐλισθήτω, ἀλλʼ ἀπόδος αὐτῷ παρʼ αὐτίκα· ἐὰν δουλεύσῃς τῷ Θεῷ, ἀποδοθήσεταί σοι· πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, παιδίον, ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις σου, καὶ ἴσθι πεπαιδευμένος ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ σου.
7hΚαὶ ὃ μισεῖς, μηδενὶ ποιήσῃς· οἶνον εἰς μέθην μὴ πίῃς, καὶ μὴ πορευθήτω μετὰ σοῦ μέθη ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ σου.
7iἘκ τοῦ ἄρτου σου δίδου πεινῶντι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἱματίων σου τοῖς γυμνοῖς· πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν περισσεύσῃ σοι, ποίει ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ μὴ φθονεσάτω σου ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν σε ἐλεημοσύνην.
7kΕκχεον τοὺς ἄρτους σου ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον τῶν δικαίων, καὶ μὴ δῷς τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς.
7lΣυμβουλίαν παρὰ παντὸς φρονίμου ζήτησον, καὶ μὴ καταφρονήσῃς ἐπὶ πάσης συμβουλίας χρησίμης.
8If you have abundance give alms accordingly: if you have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little:
9For you lay up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity.
10Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffers not to come into darkness.
11For alms is a good gift to all that give it in the sight of the most High.
12Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of your fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of your father's tribe: for we are the children of the prophets, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: remember, my son, that our fathers from the beginning, even that they all married wives of their own kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed shall inherit the land.
13Now therefore, my son, love your brethren, and despise not in your heart your brethren, the sons and daughters of your people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great lack: for lewdness is the mother of famine.
14Let not the wages of any man, which has wrought for you, wait with you, but give him it out of hand: for if you serve God, he will also repay you: be circumspect my son, in all things you do, and be wise in all your conversation.
15Do that to no man which you hate: drink not wine to make you drunken: neither let drunkenness go with you in your journey.
16Give of your bread to the hungry, and of your garments to them that are naked; and according to your abundance give alms: and let not your eye be envious, when you give alms.
17Pour out your bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked.
18Ask counsel of all that are wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable.
19Bless the Lord your God always, and desire of him that your ways may be directed, and that all your paths and counsels may prosper: for every nation has not counsel; but the Lord himself gives all good things, and he humbles whom he will, as he will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of your mind.Καὶ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ εὐλόγει Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῦ αἴτησον, ὅπως αἱ ὁδοί σου εὐθεῖαι γένωνται, καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ τρίβοι καὶ βουλαὶ σου εὐοδωθῶσι· διότι πᾶν ἔθνος οὐκ ἔχει βουλὴν, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος δίδωσι πάντα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, καὶ ὃν ἐὰν θέλῃ, ταπεινοῖ καθὼς βούλεται· καὶ νῦν, παιδίον, μνημόνευε τῶν ἐντολῶν μου, καὶ μὴ ἐξαλειφθήτωσαν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας σου.
20And now I signify this to they that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media.Καὶ νῦν ὑποδεικνύω σοι τὰ δέκα τάλαντα τοῦ ἀργυρίου, ἃ παρεθέμην Γαβαήλῳ τῷ τοῦ Γαβρία ἐν Ῥάγοις τῆς Μηδίας.
21And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for you have much wealth, if you fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.Καὶ μὴ φοβοῦ, παιδίον, ὅτι ἐπτωχεύσαμεν· ὑπάρχει σοι πολλὰ, ἐὰν φοβηθῇς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ἀποστῇς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ποιήσῃς τὸ ἀρεστὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
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