Chapter 2

¹ Now when I was come home again, and my wife Anna was restored unto me, with my son Tobias, in the feast of Pentecost, which is the holy feast of the seven weeks, there was a good dinner prepared me; and I sat down to eat. ² And when I saw 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.

ΟΤΕ δὲ κατῆλθον εἰς τὸν οἶκόν μου καὶ ἀπεδόθη μοι Ἄννα ἡ γυνή μου, καὶ Τωβίας ὁ υἱός μου, ἐν τῇ πεντηκοστῇ ἑορτῇ, ἥ ἐστιν ἁγία ἑπτὰ ἑβδομάδων, ἐγενήθη ἄριστον καλόν μοι, καὶ ἀνέπεσα τοῦ φαγεῖν. καὶ ἐθεασάμην ὄψα πολλὰ καὶ εἶπα τῷ υἱῷ μου· βάδισον καὶ ἄγαγε ὃν ἂν εὕρῃς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐνδεῆ, ὃς μέμνηται τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἰδοὺ μένω σε.

³ But he came again, and said, Father, one of our nation is strangled, and is cast out in the marketplace. ⁴ Then before I had tasted any meat, I started up, and took him up into a room until the going down of the sun. ⁵ Then I returned, and washed myself, and ate my meat in heaviness, ⁶ remembering that prophecy of Amos, as he said,

καὶ ἐλθὼν εἶπε· πάτερ, εἷς ἐκ τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν ἐστραγγαλωμένος ἔρριπται ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ. κἀγὼ πρὶν ἢ γεύσασθαί με, ἀναπηδήσας ἀνειλόμην αὐτὸν εἴς τι οἴκημα, ἕως οὗ ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος. καὶ ἐπιστρέψας ἐλουσάμην καὶ ἤσθιον τὸν ἄρτον μου ἐν λύπῃ· καὶ ἐμνήσθην τῆς προφητείας Ἀμώς, καθὼς εἶπε· στραφήσονται αἱ ἑορταὶ ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ εὐφροσύναι ὑμῶν εἰς θρῆνον,

⁷ Therefore I wept: and after the going down of the sun I went and made a grave, and buried him. ⁸ But my neighbors 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.

καὶ ἔκλαυσα. καὶ ὅτε ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος, ᾠχόμην καὶ ὀρύξας ἔθαψα αὐτόν. καὶ οἱ πλησίον ἐπεγέλων λέγοντες· οὐκ ἔτι φοβεῖται φονευθῆναι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τούτου, καὶ ἀπέδρα, καὶ ἰδοὺ πάλιν θάπτει τοὺς νεκρούς.

⁹ The same night also I returned from the burial, and slept by the wall of my courtyard, being polluted, and my face was uncovered: ¹⁰ 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 Ahikar did nourish me, until I went into Elymais.

καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νυκτὶ ἀνέλυσα θάψας καὶ ἐκοιμήθην μεμιαμμένος παρὰ τὸν τοῖχον τῆς αὐλῆς, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἀκάλυπτον ἦν. καὶ οὐκ ᾔδειν ὅτι στρουθία ἐν τῷ τοίχῳ ἐστί, καὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἀνεῳγότων, ἀφώδευσαν τὰ στρουθία θερμὸν εἰς τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ ἐγενήθη λευκώματα ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου. καὶ ἐπορεύθην πρὸς ἰατρούς, καὶ οὐκ ὠφέλησάν με· Ἀχιάχαρος δὲ ἔτρεφέ με, ἕως οὗ ἐπορεύθην εἰς τὴν Ἐλυμαΐδα.

¹¹ And my wife Anna did take women’s works to do. ¹² And when she had sent them home to the owners, they paid her wages, giving [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 is not lawful to eat anything that is stolen.

καὶ ἡ γυνή μου Ἄννα ἠριθεύετο ἐν τοῖς γυναικείοις· καὶ ἀπέστελλε τοῖς κυρίοις, καὶ ἀπέδωκαν αὐτῇ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸν μισθὸν προσδόντες καὶ ἔριφον. ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε πρός με, ἤρξατο κράζειν· καὶ εἶπα αὐτῇ· πόθεν τὸ ἐρίφιον; μὴ κλεψιμαῖόν ἐστιν; ἀπόδος αὐτὸ τοῖς κυρίοις· οὐ γὰρ θεμιτόν ἐστι φαγεῖν κλεψιμαῖον.

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.

ἡ δὲ εἶπε· δῶρον δέδοταί μοι ἐπὶ τῷ μισθῷ. καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευον αὐτῇ καὶ ἔλεγον ἀποδιδόναι αὐτὸ τοῖς κυρίοις καί ἠρυθρίων πρὸς αὐτήν· ἡ δὲ ἀποκριθεῖσα εἶπέ μοι· ποῦ εἰσιν αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου καὶ αἱ δικαιοσύναι σου; ἰδοὺ γνωστὰ πάντα μετὰ σοῦ.