Tobit’s Thanksgiving to God
13 Then Tobit[a] said:
“Blessed be God who lives forever,
and blessed be his kingdom.
2 For he afflicts, and he shows mercy;
he leads down to Hades in the lowest regions of the earth,
and he brings up from the great abyss,
and there is nothing that can escape his hand.(A)
3 Acknowledge him before the nations, O children of Israel,
for he has scattered you among them.(B)
4 He has shown you his greatness even there.
Exalt him in the presence of every living being,
because he is our[b] Lord, and he is our God;
he is our Father, and he is God forever.
5 He will afflict[c] you for your iniquities,
but he will again show mercy on all of you.
He will gather you from all the nations
among whom you have been scattered.(C)
6 If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul,
to do what is true before him,
then he will turn to you
and will no longer hide his face from you.
So now see what he has done for you;
acknowledge him at the top of your voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of the ages.[d]
In the land of my exile I acknowledge him
and show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners:
‘Turn back, you sinners, and do what is right before him;
perhaps he may look with favor upon you and show you mercy.’(D)
7 As for me, I exalt my God,
and my soul rejoices in the King of heaven.(E)
8 Let all people speak of his majesty
and acknowledge him in Jerusalem.(F)
9 O Jerusalem, the holy city,
he afflicted[e] you for the deeds of your hands[f]
but will again have mercy on the children of the righteous.(G)
10 Acknowledge the Lord worthily,
and bless the King of the ages,
so that your tent[g] may be rebuilt for you[h] with joy.
May he cheer all those within you who are captives
and love all those within you who are distressed,
to all generations forever.(H)
11 A bright light will shine to all the remotest parts of the earth;
many nations will come to you from far away,
the inhabitants of the ends of the earth to your holy name,
bearing gifts in their hands for the King of heaven.
Generation after generation will give joyful praise in you;
the name of the chosen city will endure forever.(I)
12 Cursed are all who reject you
and all who blaspheme you;
cursed are all who hate you[i]
and all who speak a harsh word against you;
cursed are all who conquer you
and pull down your walls,
all who overthrow your towers
and set your homes on fire.
But blessed forever will be all who build you up.[j](J)
13 Rejoice,[k] then, and exult over the children of the righteous,
for they will all be gathered together
and will bless the Lord of the ages.(K)
14 Happy will be those who love you,
and happy are those who will rejoice in your peace.
Happy also all people who grieve with you
because of your afflictions,
for they will rejoice with you
and witness all your joy forever.(L)
15 My soul blesses[l] the Lord, the great King,(M)
16 for Jerusalem will be rebuilt as his house for all ages.
How happy I will be if a remnant of my descendants should survive
to see your glory and acknowledge the King of heaven.
The gates of Jerusalem will be built with sapphire and emerald
and all your walls with precious stones.
The towers of Jerusalem will be built with gold
and their battlements with pure gold.
17 The streets of Jerusalem will be paved
with ruby and with stones of Ophir.(N)
18 The gates of Jerusalem will sing hymns of joy,
and all her houses will cry, ‘Hallelujah!
Blessed be the God of Israel!’—
and the blessed will bless the holy name forever and ever.”(O)
Footnotes
- 13.1Gk he
- 13.4Q mss read your
- 13.5Other ancient authorities read He afflicted
- 13.6S lacks 13.6b–10a and is filled in from other ancient authorities
- 13.9Other ancient authorities read will afflict
- 13.9Other ancient authorities read your children
- 13.10Or tabernacle
- 13.10Q ms: Gk reads in you
- 13.12Q ms: S lacks reject . . . hate you
- 13.12OL: S who fear you
- 13.13Q mss: S Go
- 13.15OL reads O my soul, bless
Cross references
- 13.2 : Deut 32.39; 1 Sam 2.6; Tob 11.15
- 13.3 : v 6; Tob 1.2
- 13.5 : Deut 30.3; 32.39; Tob 11.15
- 13.6 : vv 3, 10; Deut 6.5; Jon 3.9; 1 Tim 1.17
- 13.7 : 1 Esd 4.46
- 13.8 : Jn 4.20
- 13.9 : v 13; Neh 11.1; Dan 9.24
- 13.10 : v 6; 1 Tim 1.17
- 13.11 : Ps 86.9; Isa 60.5–10; Tob 14.6; Rev 21.24
- 13.12 : Gen 12.3; 27.29; Num 24.9; Ps 122.6, 7
- 13.13 : v 9
- 13.14 : Ps 122.6; Isa 66.10; Tob 14.7
- 13.15 : Ps 48.2; Mt 5.35
- 13.17 : 1 Kings 9.28; Isa 54.11, 12; Rev 21.10–21
- 13.18 : Isa 51.3; Rev 19.1, 3, 4, 6