The .iiii. Chapter.
1 Preceptes and exhortations of Tobias to his sonne.
[unspec A] 1 SO when Tobias thought his prayer to be heard, that he might dye, he called vnto him his sonne Tobias,
2 And sayde vnto him: My sonne heare the wordes of my mouth, and lay them in thyne heart as a foundation.
3 When God taketh away my soule, bu∣rie thou my body: and holde thy mother in honour all the dayes of her life.
4 For thou oughtest to remember what and howe great peryls she suffred for thee in her wombe.
5 And when she also hath fulfilled the time of her life, burie her “ 1.1 beside me.
6 Haue God in thy thought all the dayes of thy life, and beware lest at any time thou consent vnto sinne, and lest thou let slippe the commaundementes of the Lorde our God.
[unspec B] 7 Geue almes of thy goods, and turne ne∣uer thy face from the poore: and so shall it come to passe, that the face of the Lord shall not be turned away from thee.
8 Be mercifull after thy power.
9 If thou haue much, geue plenteously: if thou hast litle, do thy diligence gladly to geue of that litle:
10 For so gatherest thou thy selfe a good rewarde in the day of necessitie.
11 For mercie deliuereth from al sinne and from death, and suffreth not the soule to come into darkenesse.
12 A great comfort is mercie before the hie God, vnto all them that shewe it.
13 My sonne, kepe thee wel from al whor∣dome: and beside thy wife, suffer not thy selfe to knowe of sinne.
14 Let neuer pride haue rule in thy minde [unspec C] nor in thy worde: for in pryde began all destruction.
15 Whosoeuer worketh any thing for thee, immediatly geue him his hire, and loke that thy hired seruauntes wages re∣mayne not at all with thee.
16 Loke that thou neuer do vnto a∣nother man, the thing that thou woul∣dest not another man shoulde do vnto thee.
17 Eate thy bread with the hungry and poore, and couer the naked with thy clothes.
18 Set thy bread and wine vpon the buriall of the righteous, and do not thou eate and drinke therof with the sinners.
19 Aske euer counsell at the wyse.
20 Be alway praysing of God, & beseche him that he will “ 1.2 order thy wayes, and that whatsoeuer thou deuisest or takest in hand, it may remayne in him.
21 I certifie thee also my sonne, that when [unspec D] thou wast yet but a babe, I deliuered ten talentes of siluer vnto Gabelus at Rages a citie of the Medes, and his hande wryting haue I by me.
22 And therfore seke some meanes howe thou mayest come by him, and receaue of him the sayd wayght of siluer, & geue him his hande wryting againe.
23 My sonne, be not afrayde: trueth it is we leade here a poore life, but great good shall we haue if we feare God, and de∣part from all sinne, and do well.