Tobit 1

Wycliffe Bible

1 Tobit^[a] was of the lineage and of the city of Naphtali, which is in the higher parts of Galilee, above Hazor, behind [or after] the way that leadeth to the west, and it hath in the left side the city of Thisbe,

² when he was taken [or when he was caught] in the days of Shalmaneser, king of Assyrians [or king of Assyria], nevertheless he set in captivity, either taken prisoner, forsook not the way of truth,

³ so that he parted each day all things which he might have, with his captive brethren that were of his kin.

⁴ And when he was younger than all (the) others in the lineage of Naphtali, nevertheless he did no childish thing in work [or in deed].

⁵ Forsooth when all the Jews went to worship the golden calves, which Jeroboam, the king of Israel, had made, this Tobit alone fled the companies of all those Jews [or this alone flew the company of all];

⁶ and he went to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord, and there he worshipped the Lord God of Israel; and he offered faithfully all his first fruits, and his tithes;

⁷ so that in the third year he gave all his tithe to converts, that is, men that were turned to the belief [or the converted from Gentiles], and to comelings (or to newcomers).

⁸ The young man kept (or did) these things, and things like these, by, [or after], (or according to) the law of (the) God of heaven.

⁹ And when he was made a man, he took a wife, Anna, of his lineage; and he (en)gendered [or he begat] of (or by) her a son, and he put his own name to him;

¹⁰ whom he taught from young childhood to dread God, and for to abstain from all sin. [whom from the time that he began to speak, he taught to dread God, and to abstain from all sin.]

¹¹ Therefore when by captivity Tobit was come, with his wife and son, into the city of Nineveh, with all his lineage,

¹² and all ate there of the meats of heathen men [or and all ate of the meats of Gentiles], this Tobit kept his soul, or his conscience, clean, and he was never defouled (or defiled) in (or with) the meats of them, that were forbidden to (the) Jews by Moses’ law.

¹³ And for he was mindful of the Lord in all his heart, God gave grace to him in the sight of Shalmaneser, the king;

¹⁴ and he gave to Tobit power to go wither ever he would, and he had freedom to do whatever things he would.

¹⁵ Therefore he went by (or unto) all men that were in (the) captivity, and gave to them the behests of health (or of deliverance). [Then he went by all that were in the captivity, and admonishings of health he gave to them.]

¹⁶ And when he was come into Rages, a city of Media, and had ten talents of silver, of these things by [or with] which he was honoured of (or by) the king;

¹⁷ and (when) he saw Gabael needy, that was of his lineage, with much company of his kin, Tobit gave to him, under an obligation, [or under writing], (or pledge), the foresaid weight of silver.

¹⁸ And after much time, after that Shalmaneser, the king, was dead, when Sennacherib, his son, reigned for him [or when his son Sennacherib reigned for him], and had the sons of Israel hateful in his sight,

¹⁹ Tobit went each day by all his kindred, and comforted them, and he parted (some) of his chattel to each man, as he might [or and divided to each, as he might, of his faculties];

²⁰ he fed hungry men, and gave clothes to naked men, and he busily ordained sepulchre(s) to (or for) dead men and (the) slain. [the hungry men he fed, and to the naked he gave clothes, and to the dead and the slain busily he found sepulchre(s).]

²¹ And when king Sennacherib (re)turned again, fleeing from Judea for the vengeance that God did there to him for his blasphemy, and was wroth, and killed [or slew] many of the sons of Israel, Tobit buried their bodies.

²² And after that this was told to the king, he commanded Tobit to be slain, and he took (away) from him all his chattel [or all his substance].

²³ And Tobit fled with his son and with his wife, and he was hid naked, that is, spoiled, (or bereft), of all his chattel, for many men loved him [or for many loved him].

²⁴ Forsooth after five and forty days, the sons of the king killed [or slew] the king;

²⁵ and then Tobit (re)turned again to his house, and all his chattel [or and all his faculties] was restored to him.