Chapter 1
A Man Called Tobit. 1 This book relates the story of Tobit,[a] son of Tobiel, son of Hananiel, son of Aduel, son of Gabael of the family of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali. 2 During the reign of Shalmaneser,[b] king of Assyria, Tobit was taken into captivity from Thisbe, which is south of Kedesh Naphtali in Upper Galilee, above Hazor and some distance to the west of Asher, north of Phogor.
The Suffering of the Righteous[c]
Tobit, a Righteous Man Put to the Test
A Model Israelite. 3 I, Tobit, have traveled along the paths of truth and righteousness throughout all the days of my life. I carried out many charitable deeds for my kindred and for those of my people who had been sent into exile with me to Nineveh in the country of the Assyrians. 4 While I was still a youth in my own country, the land of Israel, the whole tribe of my ancestor Naphtali had forsaken the house of David and Jerusalem, even though this city had been designated out of all the tribes of Israel, so that all those tribes might offer their sacrifices in the place where the temple, the dwelling place of God, had been constructed and consecrated for the enduring use of all future generations. 5 All my kindred and the entire house of my ancestor Naphtali used to offer sacrifice on all the mountains of Galilee to the calf that Jeroboam, king of Israel, had erected in Dan.
6 I alone would frequently make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the festivals, in accordance with the everlasting decree prescribed for all Israel. I would hasten to Jerusalem with the firstfruits of the fields and the firstborn of the flocks, the tithes of the cattle, and the first shearings of the sheep. 7 I would present these to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. To the Levites who were ministering at Jerusalem I would likewise give the tithes of grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and other fruits. In addition, for six consecutive years I would prepare a second tithe in money and bring it each year to disburse in Jerusalem.
8 A third tithe I would distribute among orphans and widows as well as among the converts who were dwelling among the Israelites. Every third year when I brought this third tithe, we would consume it together in accordance with the decree prescribed in the law of Moses and with the commands of Deborah, the mother of my father Tobiel; for when my father died, I was left an orphan.
9 When I achieved manhood, I married a woman named Anna, who was of our own lineage, and she bore me a son whom I named Tobiah.
10 Tobit Deported and Persecuted.[d]After the Exile to Assyria, I came to Nineveh as a captive. All the members of my kindred and of my people ate the food of pagans, 11 but I conscientiously avoided doing so. 12 And because I remained faithful to God with my whole heart, 13 the Most High gave me favor and good standing with Shalmaneser, and I was entrusted with the task of purchasing everything he needed. 14 Until his death I used to travel to Media to buy supplies for him there, and I deposited pouches of money worth ten talents in the care of my kinsman Gabael, son of Gabri, who lived at Rages, in Media. 15 However, when Shalmaneser died and his son Sennacherib[e] succeeded him as king, the roads into Media became dangerous, and so I could no longer travel there.
16 Courage in Burying the Dead. During the reign of Shalmaneser I carried out many charitable deeds for my kindred and my people. 17 I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to those in need, and if I saw one of my people who died and had been cast outside the walls of Nineveh, I would bury that person. 18 I also buried those who were put to death by Sennacherib when he fled from Judea during those days of judgment that the king of heaven decreed against him because of his blasphemies. In his anger he slew many Israelites; but I would steal their bodies and bury them, so that Sennacherib would look for them in vain. 19 But a certain citizen of Nineveh told the king that I was the one who was burying them in secret. When I learned that the king was aware of what I was doing and that he wanted to put me to death, I was overcome with fear and fled. 20 Everything that I possessed was seized and confiscated for the royal treasury. Nothing was left to me except for my wife Anna and my son Tobiah.
21 However, less than forty days later the king was murdered by two of his sons, who then fled to the mountains of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon, who succeeded him as king, appointed Ahiqar, the son of my brother Anael, to be in charge of all the revenues of the kingdom, with control of the entire administration.[f] 22 Then Ahiqar took up my cause, and I was allowed to return to Nineveh. Ahiqar had been chief cupbearer, keeper of the seal, administrator, and treasurer under Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and so Esarhaddon had reappointed him. He was a relative of mine—my nephew.
Footnotes
- Tobit 1:1 Note that though the account begins in the third person, from 1:3—3:6 it uses the first person. Tobit is short for Tobiahu, “God is my good.”
- Tobit 1:2 Shalmaneser V (727–722 B.C.) was the Assyrian king who began the siege of Samaria, but it was Sargon II (722–705 B.C.) who captured it and took its inhabitants into exile.
- Tobit 1:3 Two sequences are juxtaposed. In two different places, two Israelites, two relatives, whose fidelity cannot be placed into doubt, are led to touch the depth of suffering. Even the Old Testament is aware, above all after the Exile, that suffering lies on the path of those who wish to serve God.
- Tobit 1:10 Without any concern for chronology, the author mixes up reigns. He wishes to stress that Tobit remains faithful in spite of any trials; he is an example offered for our meditation. The end of the passage relates to literature: Ahiqar, who is here characterized as a Hebrew and a cousin of Tobit, is the protagonist of the Book (or Wisdom) of Ahiqar, of Assyrian origin, preserved in various redactions and translations, which portrays him as conspicuous for wisdom and probity (see Tob 2:10; 11:18; 14:10; Jud 5:5).
- Tobit 1:15 Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) was the son of Sargon (722–705 B.C.), but neither one was descended from Shalmaneser.
- Tobit 1:21 The Book of Ahiqar speaks of him as a principal official of Sennacherib and Esarhaddon whom his ungrateful nephew caused to be condemned to death (see Tob 11:18; 14:10); but Ahiqar hid himself, regained his prominence, and punished his nephew.