The Koine Bible

The book of the words of Tobit son of Tobiel, son of Ananiel, son of Aduel, son of Gabael, son of Raphael, son of Raguel, from the seed of Asiel, from the tribe of Naphtali

who was taken captive in the days of Enemessaros king of the Assyrians, from Thisbe, which is on the right of Kedesh of Naphtali in upper Galilee above Asher, behind the road of the setting sun, on the left of Phogor

I, Tobith, was walking in ways of truth and in righteousnesses all the days of my life, and I did many alms to my brothers and to my nation, to those who went with me in the captivity into the land of the Assyrians, into Nineveh.

And when I was in my country in the land of Israel, and when I was young, all the tribe of Naphtali my father’s withdrew from the house of David my father and from Jerusalem, the city chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, for all the tribes of Israel to sacrifice, and the temple of the tent of God was consecrated, and it was built in it for all the generations of the age.

All my brothers and the house of Naphtali my father were sacrificing there to the calf which Jeroboam the king of Israel made in Dan on all the mountains of Galilee

And I also often went alone to Jerusalem at the feasts, as it has been written in all Israel in an eternal ordinance, the firstfruits and the first-born products and the tithes of the animals and the first fleeces of the sheep I had, I would run off to Jerusalem

and they were giving them to the priests, the sons of Aaron, for the altar, and the tithe of the grain and of the wine and of oil and of pomegranates and of figs and of the rest of the fruits to the sons of Levi, who minister in Jerusalem, and the second tithe I was tithing in money of the six years, and I would go and spend them in Jerusalem every year

and they gave them to the orphans and to the widows and to the proselytes, those attached to the sons of Israel; they brought in and gave them to them in the third year, and we ate them according to the commandment that had been prescribed concerning them in the law of Moses and according to the commandments which Debbora the mother of Ananiel our father commanded, because my father left me an orphan and died

And when I became a man I took a wife from the seed of our family, and I fathered from her a son, and I called his name Tobiaν

After I was taken captive to the Assyrians, and when I was taken captive to Nineveh, I went on, and all my brothers and those from my kindred were eating from the bread of the nations

But I kept my soul from eating from the bread of the nations

And when I remembered my God with all my soul

And the Most High gave me favor and appearance before Enemessar, and I was buying for him all the things for use.

And I went into Media and bought for him from there until he died, and I committed to Gabael the bags, the brother of Gabrias, in the country of Media, ten talents of silver.

And when Enemassar died and Sennacherim his son reigned in his place, then the roads of Media turned aside, and I was no longer able to go into Media

In the days of Enemessaros I did many acts of mercy to my brothers, those of my kindred.

I gave my bread to the hungry, and garments to the naked, and if I saw any of my nation dead and cast behind the wall of Nineveh, I buried him.

And if Sennacherim killed anyone, when he departed fleeing from Judea in the days of the judgment that the King of heaven brought against him because of the blasphemies with which he blasphemed, I buried them, for he had killed many in his anger from the sons of Israel, and they were stealing their bodies and burying them, and Sennacherim sought them and did not find them.

And one of those from Nineveh went and informed the king about me that I was burying them, and I was hidden, and when I learned that the king knew about me and that I was sought to die, I feared and fled away

And everything that belonged to me was seized, and nothing was left to me that was not taken into the treasury, except Anna my wife and Tobias my son.

And forty days did not pass until his two sons killed him and fled to the mountains of Ararat, and Sacherdonos his son reigned after him, and he appointed Achiacharus, the son of Anael, my brother, over all the accounting of his kingdom, and he himself had authority over all the administration

Then Achiacharus asked for me, and I went down to Nineveh; for Achiacharus was chief cupbearer and over the signet ring and steward and accountant under Sennacherib king of the Assyrians, and Sarchedonus appointed him, and he was from the second rank, and he was my cousin and of my kindred.