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Sennacherib, having returned to Nineveh, was cruelly killing those taken captive by Shalmaneser from Samaria of Israel. When divine justice immediately came upon him, and he was killed by his own children, the unjust slaughter of the captives ceased through his just slaying. In this captivity there was a merciful man named Tobit, who had great zeal for burying the dead of the Jews. On account of which he was accused to the king and, having fled, he slept outside the wall; and as often happens, while sleeping with his eyes open, and sparrows having dropped their dung into his eyes, he developed white films. There was also in Ecbatana a kinswoman of his, a maiden who, having taken seven husbands, and all of them being killed by a demon 1.192 before they knew her, prayed. And God sent the angel Raphael to her as a helper. Tobit therefore, having instructed his son Tobias not to take a wife from anywhere else except from his tribe and his family according to the law, gives him a bond concerning ten talents of gold which he had deposited in Media, so that he might go and receive them quickly. And when the boy was seeking a travelling companion, as he did not know the way, he finds by God's providence the angel Raphael standing as a man. Having hired him, who said he knew the way and was named Azarias, he accompanies him. And when they had come to the Tigris river, and the boy had gone in to wash, and a great fish leaped at him, the angel told him to seize the fish and cut open its belly, and to take the liver and the heart and the gall, and to keep them. And when he asked about their use, he said, "The liver and the heart, when burned as incense, drive out demons, and the gall clears away white films." Then the boy takes the aforementioned maiden from his family as his wife, with the advice and cooperation of the angel, the wicked demon having been driven out by this incense. And he returns with his son and his wife to his father Tobit; whose eyes the boy anointed with the gall of the fish, and when Tobit immediately regained his sight, the angel revealed himself, that he was not a man, but was sent from God to help both them and the maiden Sarah on account of their piety, saying to them, 1.193 "It is good to keep a king's secret, but glorious to praise the works of the Lord." At this time a certain man was known in Israel, rich and unmerciful, who came to one of the teachers and, opening the wisdom of Solomon, immediately found "he who has mercy on the poor lends to God." And coming to his senses and being filled with remorse, he went away and sold everything and distributed it to the poor, leaving nothing for himself except two coins. And becoming very poor and being shown mercy by no one, as a divine test, he later says to himself, losing heart, "I will go to Jerusalem and contend with my God that he deceived me to squander my possessions." And as he was going, he saw two men fighting with each other, having found a precious stone. And he says to them, "Why, brothers, are you fighting? Give it to me, and take two coins." And when they gave it with joy (for they did not know the exceeding value of the stone) he went away to Jerusalem, carrying the stone. And showing it to a goldsmith, as soon as he saw the stone, that man stood up and bowed down, and being astonished he inquired, saying, "Where did you find this precious and divine stone? For behold, for three years now Jerusalem has been shaken and unsettled because of this famous stone. And go, give it to the high priest, and you will become very rich." And as he was going, an angel of the Lord said to the high priest, "Now a man will come to you, having the 1.194 lost and much-spoken-of stone from the breastplate of Aaron the high priest. Taking it, give the one who brought it much gold and silver. And at the same time

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Σεναχηρεὶμ ἀναζεύξας εἰς Νι νευὶ δεινῶς ἀνῄρει τοὺς αἰχμαλωτισθέντας ὑπὸ Σαλμανασὰρ ἀπὸ Σαμαρείας τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ὃν αὐτίκα θεία δίκη μετελθοῦσα, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων τέκνων ἀναιρεθέντος, ἐπαύθη τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἡ ἄδικος σφαγὴ διὰ τῆς ἐνδίκου ἀναιρέσεως. Ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ὑπῆρχέ τις ἐλεήμων ἄνθρωπος τοὔνομα Τωβήτ, καὶ πολλὴν ἔχων σπουδὴν εἰς τὸ θάπτειν τοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας τῶν Ἰουδαίων. περὶ ὧν καὶ διαβληθεὶς τῷ βασι λεῖ καὶ φυγὼν ἐκοιμήθη ἔξω τοῦ τείχους· καὶ ὡς εἴωθε πολλάκις γίνεσθαι, κοιμώμενος καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἠνεῳγμένους ἔχων, καὶ στρουθίων ἀφοδευσάντων εἰς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, λευκώ ματα πεποίηκεν. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐν Ἐκβατάνοις κόρη συγγενὴς αὐτοῦ, ἥτις ἑπτὰ ἄνδρας λαβοῦσα, καὶ πάντων ὑπὸ δαίμονος ἀναιρουμέ 1.192 νων πρὸ τοῦ γνῶναι ταύτην, ηὔξατο. καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῇ βοη θὸν ὁ θεὸς τὸν ἄγγελον Ῥαφαήλ. ὁ οὖν Τωβὴτ παραγγείλας τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Τοβίᾳ μὴ λαβεῖν ἀλλαχόθεν γυναῖκα εἰ μὴ ἐκ τῆς φυ λῆς καὶ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸν νόμον, δίδωσιν αὐτῷ χειρό γραφον περὶ ταλάντων δέκα χρυσίου ἃ καὶ παρέθετο ἐν τῇ Μηδίᾳ, πρὸς τὸ ἀπελθεῖν καὶ λαβεῖν αὐτὰ διὰ τάχους. τοῦ δὲ παιδὸς ζητοῦντος συνοδοιπόρον ὡς τὴν ὁδὸν ἀγνοοῦντος, εὑρίσκει θεοῦ προνοίᾳ τὸν ἄγγελον Ῥαφαὴλ ὡς ἄνθρωπον ἑστῶτα. ὃν μισθω σάμενος, εἰδέναι τὴν ὁδὸν λέγοντα καὶ Ἀζαρίαν ὀνομαζόμενον, συνοδεύει τούτῳ. καὶ διελθόντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν Τίγριν, καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς εἰσελθόντος λούσασθαι, καὶ ἰχθύος αὐτῷ μεγάλου ἐπιπηδήσαντος, εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἄγγελος ἐπιλαβέσθαι τοῦ ἰχθύος καὶ τεμεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν γαστέρα, καὶ λαβεῖν τό τε ἧπαρ καὶ τὴν καρδίαν καὶ τὴν χολήν, καὶ φυλάττειν. τοῦ δὲ πυνθανομένου τὸ χρήσιμον αὐτῶν "τὸ μὲν ἧπαρ" φησί "καὶ ἡ καρδία θυμιώμενα διώκει δαί μονας, ἡ δὲ χολὴ καθαρίζει λευκώματα." εἶτα ὁ μὲν παῖς λαμ βάνει τὴν ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ προλεχθεῖσαν κόρην εἰς γυναῖκα, τῇ συμβουλίᾳ καὶ συνεργίᾳ τοῦ ἀγγέλου διωχθέντος τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος ἐν τῷ θυμιάματι τούτῳ. καὶ ὑποστρέφει μετὰ τοῦ παι δὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Τωβήτ· οὗ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁ παῖς τῇ χολῇ τοῦ ἰχθύος ἐπιχρίσας, καὶ παρευθὺ Τωβὴτ ἀναβλέψαντος ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἄγγελος, ὅτι οὐκ ἄν θρωπός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ θεοῦ ἀπεστάλη πρὸς βοήθειαν αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τῇ κόρῃ Σάρρᾳ διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν εὐσέβειαν, λέγων πρὸς αὐ 1.193 τούς «μυστήριον βασιλέως κρύπτειν καλόν, τὰ δὲ ἔργα τοῦ κυρίου ἀνυμνεῖν ἐνδόξως.» Ἐπὶ τούτου καὶ ἄνθρωπός τις ἐγνωρίζετο ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ πλούσιος καὶ ἀνελεήμων, ὃς ἐλθὼν πρός τινα τῶν διδασκάλων καὶ ἀναπτύξας τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶντος εὗρεν εὐθύς "ὁ ἐλεῶν πτωχὸν δανείζει θεῷ." καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος καὶ κατανυγεὶς ἀπελθὼν πέπρακε πάντα καὶ διένειμε πτωχοῖς, μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ καταλείψας πλὴν νομισμάτων δύο. καὶ πτωχεύσας πάνυ καὶ ὑπὸ μηδενὸς ἐκ θείας δοκιμασίας ἐλεούμενος ὕστερον ἐν ἑαυτῷ λέγει μικροψυχή σας "ἀπελεύσομαι ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ διακρινοῦμαι τῷ θεῷ μου ὅτι ἐπλάνησέ με διασκορπίσαι τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου.» πορευομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ, εἶδεν ἄνδρας δύο μαχομένους πρὸς ἀλλήλους, εὑρόντας λίθον τίμιον. καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτούς "ἵνα τί, ἀδελφοί, μάχε σθε; δότε μοι αὐτόν, καὶ λάβετε νομίσματα δύο." τῶν δὲ μετὰ χαρᾶς τοῦτον παρασχόντων (οὐ γὰρ ᾔδεσαν τοῦ λίθου τὸ ὑπερτί μιον) ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, τὸν λίθον ἐπιφερόμενος. καὶ δείξας αὐτὸν χρυσοχόῳ, παραχρῆμα τὸν λίθον ἐκεῖνος ἰδὼν ἀνα στὰς προσεκύνησε, καὶ ἔκθαμβος γενόμενος ἐπυνθάνετο, "ποῦ τὸν πολύτιμον" λέγων "καὶ θεῖον λίθον τοῦτον εὗρες; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἔτη τρία σήμερον Ἱερουσαλὴμ δονεῖται καὶ ἀκαταστατεῖ διὰ τὸν περι βόητον λίθον τοῦτον. καὶ ἀπελθὼν δὸς αὐτὸν τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ, καὶ σφόδρα πλουτήσεις." τοῦ δὲ ἀπερχομένου ἄγγελος κυρίου εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἀρχιερέα "νῦν ἐλεύσεται ἄνθρωπος πρός σε, τὸν ἀπολε 1.194 σθέντα πολυθρύλητον λίθον ἐκ τῆς διπλοΐδος Ἀαρὼν τοῦ ἀρχιε ρέως ἔχων. λαβὼν αὐτὸν δὸς τῷ ἐνέγκαντι αὐτὸν χρυσίον πολὺ καὶ ἀργύριον. ἅμα δὲ καὶ