Tobit, Chapter 4

¹In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media, ²And said with himself, I have wished for death; wherefore do I not call for my son Tobias that I may signify to him of the money before I die? ³And when he had called him, he said, My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not thy mother, but honour her all the days of thy life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not. ⁴Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for thee, when thou wast in her womb: and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave. ⁵My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness. ⁶For if thou deal truly, thy doings shall prosperously succeed to thee, and to all them that live justly. ⁷Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee. ⁸If thou hast abundance give alms accordingly: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little:

⁹For thou layest up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necessity. ¹⁰Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffereth not to come into darkness. ¹¹For alms is a good gift unto 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 thy fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of thy 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 thy brethren, and despise not in thy heart thy brethren, the sons and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great want: for lewdness is the mother of famine. ¹⁴Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give him it out of hand: for if thou serve God, he will also repay thee: be circumspect my son, in all things thou doest, and be wise in all thy conversation. ¹⁵Do that to no man which thou hatest: drink not wine to make thee drunken: neither let drunkenness go with thee in thy journey. ¹⁶Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked; and according to thine abundance give alms: and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms.

¹⁷Pour out thy 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 thy God alway, and desire of him that thy ways may be directed, and that all thy paths and counsels may prosper: for every nation hath not counsel; but the Lord himself giveth all good things, and he humbleth whom he will, as he will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of thy mind. ²⁰And now I signify this to they that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media. ²¹And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for thou hast much wealth, if thou fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.