1Tobit ⁰was of the lineage and of the city of Naphtali, which is in the higher parts of Galilee, above Hazor, behind [or after] the way that leadeth to the west, and it hath in the left side the city of Thisbe,

2when he was taken [or he was caught] in the days of Shalmaneser, king of Assyrians [or of Assyria], never-theless he set in captivity, either taken prisoner, forsook not the way of truth,

3so that he parted each day all things which he might have, with his captive brethren that were of his kin.

4And when he was younger than all others in the lineage of Naphtali, nevertheless he did no childish thing in work [or in deed].

5Forsooth when all the Jews went to worship the golden calves, which Jeroboam, the king of Israel, had made, this Tobit alone fled the companies of all those Jews;

6and he went to Jerusalem, to the temple of the Lord, and there he worshipped the Lord God of Israel; and he offered faithfully all his first fruits, and his tithes;

7so that in the third year he gave all his tithe to converts, that is, men that were turned to the belief [or the converted from Gentiles], and to comelings.

8The young man kept these things, and things like these, by [or after] he law of God of heaven.

9And when he was made a man, he took a wife, Anna, of his lineage; and he engendered [or he begat] of her a son, and he put his own name to him;

10whom he taught from young childhood to dread God, and for to abstain from all sin. [whom from the time that he began to speak, he taught to dread God, and to abstain from all sin.]

11Therefore when by captivity Tobit was come, with his wife and son, into the city of Nineveh, with all his lineage,

12and all ate there of the meats of heathen men [or all ate of the meats of Gentiles], this Tobit kept his soul, clean, and he was never defouled in the meats of them, that were forbidden to Jews by Moses’ law.

13And for he was mindful of the Lord in all his heart, God gave grace to him in the sight of Shalmaneser, the king;

14and he gave to Tobit power to go wither ever he would, and he had freedom to do whatever things he would.

15Therefore he went by all men that were in [the] captivity, and gave to them the behests [or admonishings] of health.

16And when he was come into Rages, a city of Media, and had ten talents of silver, of these things by [or with] which he was honoured of the king;

17and he saw Gabael needy, that was of his lineage, with much company of his kin, Tobit gave to him, under an obligation [or under writing], the foresaid weight of silver.

18And after much time, after that Shalmaneser, the king, was dead, when Sennacherib, his son, reigned for him [or when his son Sennacherib reigned for him], and had the sons of Israel hateful in his sight,

19Tobit went each day by all his kindred, and comforted them, and he parted [or divided] of his chattel to each man, as he might;

20he fed hungry men, and gave clothes to naked men, and he busily ordained sepulchres to dead men and slain.

21And when king Sennacherib turned again, fleeing from Judea for the vengeance that God did there to him for his blasphemy, and was wroth, and killed many of the sons of Israel, Tobit buried their bodies.

22And after that this was told to the king, he commanded Tobit to be slain, and he took from him all his chattel [or all his substance].

23And Tobit fled with his son and with his wife, and he was hid naked, that is, spoiled of all his chattel, for many men loved him.

24Forsooth after five and forty days, the sons of the king killed the king;

25and then Tobit turned again to his house, and all his chattel was restored to him.