Apocrypha. Chap

todeof stars upon the earth, even their own star; and blond shall be from the sword unto the belly,

36 And dung of men unto the camel's hough.

37 And there shall he great fearfuln-ssandtrembling upon earth: and they that fee the wrath (hall be afraid, and trembling shall come upon them.

38 And then (hall there come great storms from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west.

3j And strong winds shall arise from the east, and shall open it; and the cloud which he raised up in wrath, and the star stirred to cause fear toward the east and weft wind, shall be destroyed.

40 The great and mighty clouds (hall be lifted up full of wrath, and the star, that they may make all the earth afraid, and them that dwell therein; and they shall pour out over every high and eminent p:ace, an horrible star,

41 Fire and hail, and flying swords, and many waters, that all fields may be full, and all livers, with the abundance of great wafers.

4i And they shall break down the cities, and walls, mountains and hills, trees of the wood, and grafs of the meadows, and their corn.

43 And they shall go stedfastly unto Babylon, and make her afraid.

44 They shall come to h<r,and besiege her, the star and all wrath shall they pour out upon her: then shall thedust and smoke go up unto the heaven, and all they that be about her lhall bewail her.

45 And they that remain under her shall do service unto them that have put her in fear.

46 And thou, Asia, that are partaker of the hope of Babylon, and art the glory of her person:

47 Woe be unto thee, thou wretch, because thou hast made thyself like unto her; and hast decked thy daughters in whoredom, that they might please and glory in thy lovers, which have alway desired to commit whoredom with thee!

48 Thou haft followed her that is hated in all her works and inventions: therefore faith God,

49 I will fend plagues upon thee; widowhood, poverty, famine, sword, and pestilence, to waste thy houses with destruction and death.

50 And the glory of thy power (hall he dried up as a flower, when the heat shall arise that is sent over thee.

51 Thou shalt oe weakened as a poor woman with stripes, and aa ooe chastised

*v»« Apocrypha.

with wounds, so that the mighty and lovers (hall not be able to receive thee. 51 Would I with jealousy have so proceeded against thee, faith the Lord,

53 If thou hadst not always (Iain my chosen, exalting the stroke of thine hands, and saying over their dead, when thou wast drunken,

54 Set forth the beauty of thy countenance?

55 The reward of thy whoredom shall be in thy bosom, therefore malt thou receive recompence.

56 Like at thou hast done unto mv chosen, faith the Lord, even so shall God do unto thee, and shall deliver thee into mischief.

57 Thy children shall die of hunger, and thou shalt fall through the sword; thy cities shall be broken down, and all thine shall perish with the sword in the field.

58 They that be in the mountains shall die of hunger, and eat their own slelh,auddrink theirown blood,for very hunger of bread, and thirst of water.

5oThou as unhappy shalt come through the sea, and receive plagues again.

60 And in the passage they'(hall rush on the idle city, and shall destroy some portion of tby land, and consume part of thy glory, and shall return to Babylon that was destroyed.

61 And thou (halt be cast down by them as stubble, and they (hall be unto thee as fire;

61 And shall consume thee, and thy cities, thy land, and thy mountains; all thy woods and thy fruitful trees lhall they burn up with fire.

63 Thy children (hall fhey carry away captive, and look, what thou hast, they shall spoil it, and mar the beauty of thy face.

CHAP. XVI. I Babylon and other places art threatened.

40 The servant 1 of the Lord must look

jor troubles, &c.

WOK be unto thee, Babylon, and Asia! woe be unto thee Egypt, and Syria!

a Gird up yourselves with cloths of sack and hair, bewail your children, and be sorry; for your destruction is at hand.

3 A sword is sent upon you, and who may turn it back?

4 A fire is sent among you, and who may quench it?

5 Blagues are sent unto you, and what is he that may drive them a <ay >

6 May any man drive away an hungry lion in the wood? or may any one

quench

CHAP. I.

I Tcbit'tjoci and devotion ui Ms youth: g hit marriage, 10 and captivity: 13 his preferment, 16 almi and charity in bury ing the dead.

TH E book of the words of Tobit, son of Tobiel, the son of Ananiel, the son of Aduel, the son of Gabael, of the feed of Asael, of the tribe of Nephtali;

» Who in the time of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was led captive out ot' Thisbe, which is at the right hand of that city, which is called properly Nephthali in Galilee above Afer.

3 I Tobit have walked all the days of my life in the way of truth and justice, and I did many almsdeeds to my brethien, and my nation, who came with me to Nineve, into the land of the Assyrians.

4 And when I was in mine own country in the land of Israel, being but yeung, ?11 the tribe of Nephthali my father fell from the house of Jerusalem, which was chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, that all the tribes should sacrifice thtre, where the temple of the habitation of the molt High was consecrated and built for all ages.

5 Now all the tribes which together revolted, and the house of my father Nephthali, sacrificed unto the heifer Baal.

6 But I alone went often to Jerusalem at t'le feasts, as it was ordained unto ail the people of Israel by an everlasting decree, having the firllfruits and tenths of increase, with that which was first shorn; and them gave I at the altar, to the priests the children of Aaron.

7 The first tenth part of all increase I gave to the sons of Aaron, who ministered at Jerusalem: another tenth part 1 sold away, and went, and spent it every year at Jerusalem:

g And the third I gave unto them to whom it was meet, as Debora my father's mother had commanded me, because I was left an orphan by my father.

9 f Furthermore when I was come to the age of a man, I married Anna of mine own kindred, and of her I begat Tobias.

lot And when we were carried away captives to Nineve, all my Brethren, and those that were of my kindred did eat of the bread of the Gentiles.

11 But I kept myself from eating;

11 Because I remembered God with all my heart.

13 t And the most High gave me grace and favour before Enemessar, sa that I was his purveyor.

14 And I went into Media, and lest in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabrias, at Rages a city of Media, ten talents of silver.

15 Now when Enemessar wag dead, Sennicheribhiason reigned in his stead; whose estate was troubled, that I could not go into Media.

16 <I And in the time of Enemessar I gave many alms to my brethren, and gave my bread to the hungry,

17 And my clothes to the naked: and if I saw any of my nation dead, or cast about the walls of Nineve, I buried him.

18 And if the king Sennacherib bad slain any, when be was come, asdfied from Judea, 1 buried them privily; for in his wrath he killed many; but the bodies were not found, when they were sought for of the king.

19 And when one of the Ninevites went and complained of me to the king, that I buried them, and hid mysrli; understanding that I was sought tor to be put to death, I withdrew myself for fear.

»o Then all my goods were forcibly taken away, neither was there any thing left me, beside my wife Anna, and my son Tobias.

11 And there passed not five and fifty days, before two of his sons killed him, and they fled into the mountains of Ararath; and Sarcbedonus his son reigned in hi3 stead; who appointed over his father's accounts, and overall his affairs, Achiacharus my brother Ansel's son.

4i And Achiacharus intreating for me, I returned to Nineve. Now Achiacharus was cupbearer, and keeper of the signet, and steward, and overseer of the accounts: and Sarcbedonus appointed him next unto him: and he was my brother's son.

CHAP. H. I Tobit leave!h hit meat to bury the dead, 10 and becometh blind.

NOW when I was come home again, and my wife Anna was restored unto roe, with my son Tohias, in the feaft of Pentecost, which is the holy feast of the seven weeks, there was a good dinner prepared me, in the which I fat down to eat. ,• Apocrypha. Chap

a And when I sow abundance of meat, I said to my son, Go and bring what poor man soever thou shalt find out of our brethren, who is mindful of the Lord; and, lo, I tarry for thee.

3 But he came again, and said, Father, one of our nation is strangled, and it cast out in the marketplace.

4 Thenbefore I had tasted of any meat, I started up, and took him up into a room until the going down of the fun.

5 Then I returned, and washed myself, and ate my meat in heaviness,

6 Remembering that prophecy of Amos, as he said. Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your mirth into lamentation.

7 Therefore I wept: and after the going down of the sun I went and made a grave, and buried him.

8 But my neighbours mocked me, and said, This man is not yet afraid to be put to death for this matter: who fled away; and yet, lo, he burieth the dead again.

9 The fame night also I returned from the burial, and slept by the wall of my courtyard, being polluted, and my face was uncovered:

10T And I knew not that there were sparrows in the wall, and mine eyes being open, the sparrows muted warm dung into mine eyes, and a whiteness came in mine eyes; and I went to the physicians, but they helped me not: moreover Achiacharus did nourish me, until I went into Elymais.

Ii And my wife Anna did take women's works to do.

ii And when (he had sent them home to the owners, they paid her wages, and gave her also besides a kid.

13 And when it was in my house, and began to cry, I said unto her, From whence is this kid? is it not stolen? render it to the owners; for it i3 not lawful to eat any thing that is stolen.

14 But she replied upon me, It was given for a gift more than the wages. Howbeit I did not believe her, but bade her render it to the owners: and I was abashed at her. But she replied upon me, Where are thine alms and thy righteous deeds? behold, thou and all thy works are known.

CHAP. III. I Tobit grieved with Au wise's taunts, frayeth. Ii Sara reproached by her father's maids, prayeth also, It An angel it sent to help them both.

THEN I being grieved did weep, and in my sorrow prayed, saying, a O Lord, thou art just, and all thy

iii. Apocrypha.

works and all thy ways are mercy and truth, and thou judged truly and justly for ever.

3 Remember me, and look on me, punish me not for my sins and ignorances, and the sins of my fathers, who have sinned before thee:

4 For they obeyed not thy commandments: wherefore thou hast delivered us for a spoil, and unto captivity, and unto death, and for a proverb of reproach to all the nations among whom we are dispersed.

5 And now thy judgements are many and true: deal with me according to my sins and my fathers: because we have not kept thy commandments, neither have walked in truth before thee.

6 Now therefore deal with me as seemeth best unto thee, and command my spirit to be taken from me, that I may be dissolved, and become earth t for it is profitable for me to die rather than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and have much sorrow: command therefore that 1 may now be delivered out of this distress, and go into the everlasting place: turn not thy face away from me.

7 It came to pass the fame day, that in Ecbatane, a city of Media Sara the daughter of Raguel was also reproached by her father's maids;

8 Because that she had been married to seven husbands, whom Asmodeus the evil spirit had killed, before they had lain with her. Dost thou not know, said they, that thou hast strangled thine husbands ? thou hast had already seven husbands, neither wast thou named after any of them.

9 Wherefore dost thou beat us for them? if they be dead, go thy ways after them, let us never fee of thee either son or daughter.

io When Ihe heard these things, she was very sorrowful, so that she thought to have strangled herself; and she said, I am the only daughter of my father, and if I do this, it shall be a reproach unto him, and I should bring his old age with sorrow unto the grave.

utThen she prayed toward the window, and said. Blessed art thou, O Lord my God, and thine holy and glorious name is blessed and honourable for ever: let all thy works praise thee for ever.

Ii And now, O Lord, I set mine eye*. and my face toward thee,

13 And say, Take me out of the earth, that I may hear no more the reproach.

■ 14 Thou