Tobit 14

¹Ve Tobit şükran sunmayı sonlandırdı.

²Görme yetisini kaybettiğinde elli sekiz yaşındaydı ve sekiz yıl sonra gözleri yeniden açıldı; sadakalar vermeye devam etti, Rab Tanrı'dan korkmayı sürdürdü ve O'na şükranlar sundu.

³Çok yaşlandığında oğlunu ve onun oğullarını yanına çağırıp ona şöyle dedi: "Oğlum, çocuklarını yanına al; işte yaşlandım ve bu yaşamdan göçüp gitmenin eşiğindeyim.

⁴Medya’ya git oğlum; çünkü peygamber Yunus’un Nineve hakkında söylediği her şeyin gerçekleşeceğine ve oranın yerle bir edileceğine kesinlikle inanıyorum; Medya’da ise belirlenmiş bir vakte kadar barış daha fazla hüküm sürecek, ülkede yaşayan kardeşlerimiz o güzel topraklardan darmadağın edilecek, Yeruşalim viraneye dönecek ve içindeki Tanrı’nın Tapınağı yakılıp belirli bir süre için ıssız kalacaktır.

⁵Ama Tanrı onlara yine merhamet edecek ve onları kendi topraklarına geri döndürecektir; orada tapınağı yeniden inşa edecekler, ama bu tapınak çağın vakitleri tamamlanıncaya dek ilki gibi olmayacaktır; bundan sonra tutsaklıktan geri dönecekler, Yeruşalim’i onurla yeniden inşa edecekler ve içindeki Tanrı’nın Tapınağı, peygamberlerin onun hakkında bildirdiği gibi, çağın bütün kuşakları boyunca görkemli bir yapı olarak yeniden kurulacaktır.

⁶Bütün uluslar gerçekten Rab Tanrı’dan korkmak için O’na yönelecekler, putlarını toprağa gömecekler ve bütün uluslar Rab’bi övecektir.

⁷O’nun halkı Tanrı’ya şükranlarını sunacak, Rab halkını yüceltecek ve Rab Tanrı’yı içtenlikle ve doğrulukla seven, kardeşlerimize merhamet gösteren herkes sevinçle coşacaktır.

⁸Şimdi oğlum, Nineve’den ayrıl; çünkü peygamber Yunus’un söylediği her şey kesinlikle gerçekleşecektir.

⁹Sen ise yasayı ve buyrukları tut, merhametli ve adil ol ki senin için her şey iyi gitsin; beni layıkıyla göm, anneni de benim yanıma göm ama artık Nineve’de kalmayın.

¹⁰Oğlum, bak Aman’ın kendisini büyüten Ahiahaykar’a neler yaptığını hatırla; onu ışıktan nasıl karanlığa sürüklediğini ve ona nasıl kötülükle karşılık verdiğini düşün; ama Ahiahaykar kurtuldu, ötekine ise hak ettiği karşılık verildi ve kendisi karanlığa gömüldü; Manasse sadaka verdi ve kendisi için kurulan ölüm tuzağından kurtuldu, Aman ise kendi kurduğu tuzağa düşüp yok oldu.

¹¹İşte şimdi çocuklarım, sadakanın ne işe yaradığını ve doğruluğun nasıl kurtardığını görün." O bunları söylerken yatağında canı onu terk etti; yüz elli sekiz yaşındaydı ve onu onurla gömdüler.

¹²Anna öldüğünde, Tobias onu babasının yanına gömdü; sonra Tobias, karısı ve çocuklarıyla birlikte kayınpederi Raguel’in yanına, Ekbatan’a gitti.

¹³Orada onur içinde yaşlandı; kayınpederiyle kayınvalidesini saygıyla gömdü, hem onların varlığına hem de babası Tobit’in mirasına kondu.

¹⁴Medya’nın Ekbatan kentinde yüz yirmi yeri yaşında öldü.

¹⁵Ölmeden önce, Nabukadnezar ile Asuerus’un Nineve’yi tutsak edip yok ettiğini duydu ve ölmeden önce Nineve’nin yıkılışına sevindi.

¹ΚΑΙ ἐπαύσατο ἐξομολογούμενος Τωβίτ.

²καὶ ἦν ἐτῶν πεντηκονταοκτώ, ὅτε ἀπώλεσε τὰς ὄψεις, καὶ μετὰ ἔτη ὀκτὼ ἀνέβλεψε. καὶ ἐποίει ἐλεημοσύνας καὶ προσέθετο φοβεῖσθαι Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ἐξωμολογεῖτο αὐτῷ.

³μεγάλως δὲ ἐγήρασε· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τέκνον, λάβε τοὺς υἱούς σου· ἰδοὺ γεγήρακα καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀποτρέχειν ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν εἰμι.

⁴ἄπελθε εἰς τὴν Μηδίαν, τέκνον, ὅτι πέπεισμαι ὅσα ἐλάλησεν ᾿Ιωνᾶς ὁ προφήτης περὶ Νινευῆ, ὅτι καταστραφήσεται, ἐν δὲ τῇ Μηδίᾳ ἔσται εἰρήνη μᾶλλον ἕως καιροῦ, καὶ ὅτι οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ σκορπισθήσονται ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγαθῆς γῆς, καὶ ῾Ιεροσόλυμα ἔσται ἔρημος, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ κατακαήσεται καὶ ἔρημος ἔσται μέχρι χρόνου.

⁵καὶ πάλιν ἐλεήσει αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐπιστρέψει αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν, καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσι τὸν οἶκον, οὐχ οἷος ὁ πρότερος, ἕως πληρωθῶσι καιροὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἐκ τῶν αἰχμαλωσιῶν καί οἰκοδομήσουσιν ῾Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐντίμως, καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκοδομηθήσεται εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς τοῦ αἰῶνος οἰκοδομῇ ἐνδόξῳ, καθὼς ἐλάλησαν περὶ αὐτῆς οἱ προφῆται.

⁶καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπιστρέψουσιν ἀληθινῶς φοβεῖσθαι Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν καὶ κατορύξουσι τὰ εἴδωλα αὐτῶν, καὶ εὐλογήσουσι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη Κύριον.

⁷καὶ ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ὑψώσει Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ χαρήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀγαπῶντες Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, ποιοῦντες ἔλεος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν.

⁸καὶ νῦν, τέκνον, ἄπελθε ἀπὸ Νινευῆ, ὅτι πάντως ἔσται ἃ ἐλάλησεν ὁ προφήτης ᾿Ιωνᾶς.

⁹σὺ δὲ τήρησον τὸν νόμον καὶ τὰ προστάγματα καὶ γενοῦ φιλελεήμων καὶ δίκαιος, ἵνα σοι καλῶς ᾖ. καὶ θάψον με καλῶς καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ μηκέτι αὐλισθῆτε εἰς Νινευῆ.

¹⁰τέκνον, ἰδὲ τί ἐποίησεν ᾿Αμὰν ᾿Αχιαχάρῳ τῷ θρέψαντι αὐτόν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ φωτὸς ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος, καὶ ὅσα ἀνταπέδωκεν αὐτῷ· καὶ ᾿Αχιάχαρος μὲν ἐσώθη, ἐκείνῳ δὲ τὸ ἀνταπόδομα ἐπεδόθη, καὶ αὐτὸς κατέβη εἰς τὸ σκότος. Μανασσῆς ἐποίησεν ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ ἐσώθη ἐκ παγίδος θανάτου, ἧς ἔπηξεν αὐτῷ, ᾿Αμὰν δὲ ἐνέπεσεν εἰς τὴν παγίδα καὶ ἀπώλετο.

¹¹καὶ νῦν, παιδία, ἴδετε τί ἐλεημοσύνη ποιεῖ, καὶ τί δικαιοσύνη ῥύεται. καὶ ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ἐξέλιπεν ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης· ἦν δὲ ἐτῶν ἑκατὸν πεντηκονταοκτώ, καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἐνδόξως.

¹²καὶ ὅτε ἀπέθανεν ῎Αννα, ἔθαψεν αὐτὴν μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἀπῆλθε δὲ Τωβίας μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ᾿Εκβάτανα πρὸς Ῥαγουὴλ τὸν πενθερὸν αὐτοῦ,

¹³καὶ ἐγήρασεν ἐντίμως καὶ ἔθαψε τοὺς πενθεροὺς αὐτοῦ ἐνδόξως καὶ ἐκληρονόμησε τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτῶν καὶ Τωβὶτ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ.

¹⁴καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἐτῶν ἑκατὸν εἰκοσιεπτὰ ἐν ᾿Εκβατάνοις τῆς Μηδίας.

¹⁵καὶ ἤκουσε πρὶν ἢ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν ἀπώλειαν Νινευῆ, ἣν ᾐχμαλώτισε Ναβουχοδονόσορ καὶ ᾿Ασύηρος, καὶ ἐχάρη πρὸ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν ἐπὶ Νινευῆ.

¹So Tobit made an end of praising God.

²And he was eight and fifty years old when he lost his sight, which was restored to him after eight years: and he gave alms, and he increased in the fear of the Lord God, and praised him.

³And when he was very aged he called his son, and the sons of his son, and said to him, My son, take thy children; for, behold, I am aged, and am ready to depart out of this life.

⁴Go into Media my son, for I surely believe those things which Jonas the prophet spake of Nineve, that it shall be overthrown; and that for a time peace shall rather be in Media; and that our brethren shall lie scattered in the earth from that good land: and Jerusalem shall be desolate, and the house of God in it shall be burned, and shall be desolate for a time;

⁵And that again God will have mercy on them, and bring them again into the land, where they shall build a temple, but not like to the first, until the time of that age be fulfilled; and afterward they shall return from all places of their captivity, and build up Jerusalem gloriously, and the house of God shall be built in it for ever with a glorious building, as the prophets have spoken thereof.

⁶And all nations shall turn, and fear the Lord God truly, and shall bury their idols.

⁷So shall all nations praise the Lord, and his people shall confess God, and the Lord shall exalt his people; and all those which love the Lord God in truth and justice shall rejoice, shewing mercy to our brethren.

⁸And now, my son, depart out of Nineve, because that those things which the prophet Jonas spake shall surely come to pass.

⁹But keep thou the law and the commandments, and shew thyself merciful and just, that it may go well with thee.

¹⁰And bury me decently, and thy mother with me; but tarry no longer at Nineve. Remember, my son, how Aman handled Achiacharus that brought him up, how out of light he brought him into darkness, and how he rewarded him again: yet Achiacharus was saved, but the other had his reward: for he went down into darkness. Manasses gave alms, and escaped the snares of death which they had set for him: but Aman fell into the snare, and perished.

¹¹Wherefore now, my son, consider what alms doeth, and how righteousness doth deliver. When he had said these things, he gave up the ghost in the bed, being an hundred and eight and fifty years old; and he buried him honourably.

¹²And when Anna his mother was dead, he buried her with his father. But Tobias departed with his wife and children to Ecbatane to Raguel his father in law,

¹³Where he became old with honour, and he buried his father and mother in law honourably, and he inherited their substance, and his father Tobit’s.

¹⁴And he died at Ecbatane in Media, being an hundred and seven and twenty years old.

¹⁵But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nineve, which was taken by Nabuchodonosor and Assuerus: and before his death he rejoiced over Nineve.