Tobías 1

1Tobías, de la tribu y ciudad de Neftalí, situada en la Galilea superior, sobre Naasón, detrás del camino que va hacia el Occidente, teniendo a la izquierda la ciudad de Sefet,

2fue llevado cautivo en tiempo de Salmanasar, rey de los asirios pero a pesar de hallarse en cautiverio no abandonó la senda de la verdad,

3de suerte que de cuanto tenía, repartía todos los días a los hermanos de su nación, cautivos como él mismo.

4Aunque siendo el más joven de todos los de la tribu de Neftalí, no había nada pueril en sus acciones;

5de manera que cuando todos iban a los becerros de oro que había hecho Jeroboam, rey de Israel, solo él huía la compañía de todos los demás;

6y se iba a Jerusalén al Templo del Señor, donde adoraba al Señor Dios de Israel, ofreciendo fielmente todas sus primicias y sus diezmos.

7Cada tercer año repartía a los prosélitos y a los forasteros todo el diezmo.

8Estas y otras cosas semejantes, prescritas por la Ley de Dios, observaba desde jovencito.

9Hombre ya, se casó con una mujer de su tribu, llamada Ana, de la cual tuvo un hijo, a quien puso su nombre,

10y le enseñó desde la niñez a temer a Dios, y a guardarse de todo pecado.

11Por eso, cuando fue llevado cautivo con su mujer e hijo y toda su tribu a la ciudad de Nínive,

12aunque todos comían de los manjares de los gentiles, Tobías guardó pura su alma, sin contaminarse jamás con sus viandas.

13Porque se acordaba del Señor con todo su corazón, Dios le hizo grato a los ojos del rey Salmanasar;

14el cual le dio permiso para ir adonde quisiese, y libertad de hacer cuanto le gustase.

15Iba, pues, a visitar a todos los que estaban en cautiverio, y les daba consejos saludables.

16Llegado que hubo a Rages, ciudad de los medos, con diez talentos de plata, procedentes de las remuneraciones que había recibido del rey, y

17viendo en necesidad entre la mucha gente de su nación a Gabelo, de su misma tribu, le prestó dicha suma de dinero contra un recibo firmado de su mano.

18Al cabo de mucho tiempo, murió el rey Salmanasar, y reinó en su lugar su hijo Senaquerib, que tenía gran odio contra los hijos de Israel.

19Visitaba entonces Tobías cada día a los de su parentela, los consolaba; y repartía a cada uno, según podía, una porción de sus bienes.

20Sustentaba a los hambrientos, vestía a los desnudos, y mostraba gran celo en dar sepultura a los que habían fallecido, o habían sido matados.

21Cuando el rey Senaquerib, luego que volvió huyendo de Judea a causa de la plaga con que Dios le había castigado por sus blasfemias, mataba en su furor a muchos de los hijos de Israel, Tobías sepultaba sus cadáveres.

22Lo que habiendo llegado a noticia del rey, mandó quitarle la vida y le quitó todos sus bienes.

23Mas Tobías huyó con su hijo y su mujer, y despojado de todo se escondió, porque tenía muchos amigos.

24Cuarenta y cinco días después asesinaron al rey sus propios hijos.

25Entonces Tobías volvió a su casa, y le fueron restituidos todos sus bienes.

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.