Labdarības dēļ Tobits kļūst akls un nabadzīgs
1 Tā ķēniņa Saherdona valdīšanas laikā es pārnācu mājās, un man atdeva manu sievu Annu un dēlu Tobiju. Kad bija mūsu Vasarsvētki, septiņu nedēļu svētki, es rīkoju skaistu mielastu un apsēdos pusdienot. 2 Man priekšā bija klāts galds un daudz cepešu, un es sacīju savam dēlam Tobijam: “Dēls, ej un, ja vien tu atrodi pie niniviešiem kādu nabagu, kurš ir no mūsu gūstā aizvestajiem cilts brāļiem un Dievu piemin no visas sirds, tad atved viņu, un tas ēdīs kopā ar mani, un redzi, es gaidīšu tevi, dēls, līdz tu pārnāksi.” 3 Un Tobijs aizgāja meklēt kādu mūsu cilts brāli, kas būtu nabags. Atgriezies viņš sacīja: “Tēvs!” Un es sacīju viņam: “Jā, dēls!” Un viņš sacīja: “Tēvs, redzi, viens no mūsu tautas ir nogalināts un guļ nomests uz tirgus laukuma turpat, kur ticis nožņaugts.” 4 Pielēcis kājās, es atstāju mielastu, pirms tas bija sācies, un pacēlu viņu no ielas, atnesu un ieliku kādā ēkā līdz saules rietam, kad varēšu viņu apglabāt. 5 Atgriezies es nomazgājos un sēdos ēst maizi, bēdās nogrimis, 6 un tad atcerējos pravieša Amosa vārdus, ko viņš sacīja par Baithēlu:
“Jūsu svētki jums pārvērtīsies bēdās
un visas jūsu dziesmas raudāšanā.”
Un es raudāju. 7 Kad saule norietēja, es izgāju un, izracis kapu, apbedīju mirušo. 8 Bet mani kaimiņi mani izsmēja, sacīdami: “Viņš vairs nebīstas. Nupat vēl viņu meklēja par šādu rīcību, lai nogalinātu, bet viņš izbēga, un nu jau atkal, redzi, viņš rok mirušos.” 9 Tajā naktī es nomazgājos un iegāju pagalmā, un apgūlos pie mūra sienas, bet seju karstuma dēļ atstāju neapsegtu, 10 un es nebiju pamanījis, ka virs manis ir bezdelīgu ligzda, un manās acīs iekrita putnu mēsli, un es nevarēju vairs redzēt. Es devos pie dažādiem ārstiem dziedināties, bet, jo vairāk ziežu tie zieda man acīs, jo sliktāk es redzēju, līdz kļuvu pavisam akls un neko neredzēju četrus gadus, un visi mani cilts brāļi bēdājās par mani, un divus gadus mani apkopa Ahiahars, pirms viņam bija jādodas uz Elimaidu.
11 Tajā laikā mana sieva Anna nodarbojās ar vērpšanu pie svešiem. 12 Parasti viņa nosūtīja saimniekiem gatavo audumu un tad saņēma algu. Un kādā marta sabatā viņa pabeidza aust un aizsūtīja noausto saimniekiem, un viņi samaksāja visu algu un iedeva viņai līdzi kazlēnu mājas pavardam. 13 Kad viņa ienāca pie manis, jērs sāka blēt, un es pasaucu viņu un jautāju: “No kurienes šis kazlēns? Vai tas nav zagts? Atdod atpakaļ saimniekiem, jo mums nav tiesību ēst neko zagtu.” 14 Bet viņa man sacīja: “Tas man iedots pie algas klāt kā dāvana.” Bet es nenoticēju viņai, liku atdot kazlēnu saimniekiem un viņu rupji apsaucu, tā ka viņa atbildēja: “Kur palikusi tava žēlsirdība? Kur palikusi tava taisnība? Redzi, viss, kas ar tevi noticis, ir zināms.”
A Family Celebration
1 When I returned home I was reunited with my wife Anna and my son Tobias. At the Harvest Festival, which is also called the Festival of Weeks, I sat down to a delicious meal. 2 When I saw how much food there was on the table, I said to Tobias, “Son, go out and find one of our people who is living in poverty here in exile, someone who takes God's commands seriously. Bring him back with you, so that he can share this festival meal with us. I won't start eating until you come back.”
A Murder in Nineveh
3 So Tobias went out to look for such a person. But he quickly returned, shouting, “Father! Father!”
“Yes, what is it?” I asked.
“One of our people has just been murdered! Someone strangled him and threw his body into the marketplace.”
4 I jumped up and left the table without even touching my food. I removed the body from the street and carried it to a little shed, where I left it until sunset, when I could bury it. 5 Then I returned home and washed, so as to purify myself. In deep sorrow I ate my dinner. 6 I was reminded of what the prophet Amos had said to the people of Bethel,
“Your festivals will be turned into funerals,
and your glad songs will become cries of grief.”
I began to weep.
7 After sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried the man. 8 My neighbors thought I was crazy. “Haven't you learned anything?” they asked. “You have already been hunted down once for burying the dead, and you would have been killed if you had not run away. But here you are doing the same thing all over again.”
Tobit Is Blinded
9 That night I washed, so as to purify myself, and went out into my courtyard to sleep by the wall. It was a hot night, and I did not pull the cover up over my head. 10 Sparrows were on the wall right above me, but I did not know it. Their warm droppings fell into my eyes, causing a white film to form on them. I went to one doctor after another, but the more they treated me with their medicines, the worse my eyes became, until finally I was completely blind.
For four years I could see nothing. My relatives were deeply concerned about my condition, and Ahikar supported me for two years before he went to the land of Elam.
A Family Quarrel
11 After Ahikar left, my wife Anna had to go to work, so she took up weaving, like many other women. 12 The people she worked for would pay her when she delivered the cloth. One spring day, she cut a finished piece of cloth from the loom and took it to the people who had ordered it. They paid her the full price and also gave her a goat.
13 When Anna came home with the goat, it began to bleat. I called out, “Where did that goat come from? You stole it, didn't you? Take it straight back to its owners. It's not right to eat stolen food!”
14 “No!” she replied. “It was given to me as a gift in addition to what I got for the cloth.” But I didn't believe her, and I blushed for shame for what she had done. I ordered her to return the goat to its owners, but she had the last word. “Now I see what you are really like!” she shouted. “Where is all that concern of yours for others? What about all those good deeds you used to do?”
