Chaos in Jerusalem

¹Now the Lord, the Almighty Lord, is about to take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything and everyone that the people depend on. He is going to take away their food and their water,

²their heroes and their soldiers, their judges and their prophets, their fortunetellers and their statesmen,

³their military and civilian leaders, their politicians and everyone who uses magic to control events.

⁴The Lord will let the people be governed by immature boys.

⁵Everyone will take advantage of everyone else. Young people will not respect their elders, and worthless people will not respect their superiors.

⁶A time will come when the members of a clan will choose one of their number and say to him, “You at least have something to wear, so be our leader in this time of trouble.”

⁷But he will answer, “Not me! I can't help you. I don't have any food or clothes either. Don't make me your leader!”

⁸Yes, Jerusalem is doomed! Judah is collapsing! Everything they say and do is against the Lord; they openly insult God himself.

⁹Their prejudices will be held against them. They sin as openly as the people of Sodom did. They are doomed, and they have brought it on themselves.

¹⁰The righteous will be happy, and things will go well for them. They will get to enjoy what they have worked for.

¹¹But evil people are doomed; what they have done to others will now be done to them.

¹²Moneylenders oppress my people, and their creditors cheat them. My people, your leaders are misleading you, so that you do not know which way to turn.

The Lord Judges His People

¹³The Lord is ready to state his case; he is ready to judge his people.

¹⁴The Lord is bringing the elders and leaders of his people to judgment. He makes this accusation: “You have plundered vineyards, and your houses are full of what you have taken from the poor.

¹⁵You have no right to crush my people and take advantage of the poor. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken.”

A Warning to the Women of Jerusalem

¹⁶The Lord said, “Look how proud the women of Jerusalem are! They walk along with their noses in the air. They are always flirting. They take dainty little steps, and the bracelets on their ankles jingle.

¹⁷But I will punish them—I will shave their heads and leave them bald.”

¹⁸A day is coming when the Lord will take away from the women of Jerusalem everything they are so proud of—the ornaments they wear on their ankles, on their heads, on their necks,

¹⁹and on their wrists. He will take away their veils

²⁰and their hats; the magic charms they wear on their arms and at their waists;

²¹the rings they wear on their fingers and in their noses;

²²all their fine robes, gowns, cloaks, and purses;

²³their revealing garments, their linen handkerchiefs, and the scarves and long veils they wear on their heads.

²⁴Instead of using perfumes, they will stink; instead of fine belts, they will wear coarse ropes; instead of having beautiful hair, they will be bald; instead of fine clothes, they will be dressed in rags; their beauty will be turned to shame!

²⁵The men of the city, yes, even the strongest men, will be killed in war.

²⁶The city gates will mourn and cry, and the city itself will be like a woman sitting on the ground, stripped naked.

¹When that time comes, seven women will grab hold of one man and say, “We can feed and clothe ourselves, but please let us say you are our husband, so that we won't have to endure the shame of being unmarried.”

Jerusalem Will Be Restored

²The time is coming when the Lord will make every plant and tree in the land grow large and beautiful. All the people of Israel who survive will take delight and pride in the crops that the land produces.

³Everyone who is left in Jerusalem, whom God has chosen for survival, will be called holy.

⁴By his power the Lord will judge and purify the nation and wash away the guilt of Jerusalem and the blood that has been shed there.

⁵Then over Mount Zion and over all who are gathered there, the Lord will send a cloud in the daytime and smoke and a bright flame at night. God's glory will cover and protect the whole city.

⁶His glory will shade the city from the heat of the day and make it a place of safety, sheltered from the rain and storm.

Tobit's Prayer

¹I was so embarrassed and ashamed that I sighed and began to cry. Then, as I choked back my tears, I prayed:

²You are righteous, O Lord! You are merciful in all you do, faithful in all your ways. You are the judge of this world.

^3-4I beg you, treat me with kindness. Do not punish me for my sins, not even for sins of which I am unaware. My ancestors rebelled and disobeyed your commands, but do not punish me for their sins. You let our people be plundered, taken captive and killed. You made an example of our people, an object of contempt and disgrace in all the nations where you scattered us.

⁵You have often judged my ancestors for their sins and punished me for mine. We were disloyal and rejected your commands, so our punishment has always been just.

⁶Now treat me as you please. Take my life away and free me from this world; let my body return to the earth. I would be better off dead. I am tormented by insults I don't deserve, and weighed down with despair. Lord, give the command— bring all my troubles to an end, take me to my eternal rest. Don't reject my prayer. I would rather die than live in misery and face such cruel insults.

Sarah's Troubles

⁷That same day in the city of Ecbatana in Media, it happened that Sarah, the daughter of a man named Raguel, was insulted by one of her father's servant women.

⁸Sarah had been married seven times, but the evil demon, Asmodeus, killed each husband before the marriage could be consummated. The servant woman said to Sarah, You husband killer! Look at you! You've already had seven husbands, but not one of them lived long enough to give you a son.

⁹Why should you take it out on us? Why don't you go and join your dead husbands? I hope we never see a child of yours!

¹⁰Sarah was so depressed that she burst into tears and went upstairs determined to hang herself. But when she thought it over, she said to herself, No, I won't do it! People would insult my father and say, You had only one child, a daughter whom you loved dearly, but she hanged herself because she felt so miserable. Such grief would bring my gray-haired father to his grave, and I would be responsible. I won't kill myself; I'll just beg the Lord to let me die. Then I won't have to listen to those insults any longer!

Sarah's Prayer

¹¹Then Sarah stood by the window, raised her arms in prayer, and said, God of mercy, worthy of our praise, may your name always be honored, may all your creation praise you forever.

¹²Lord, I look to you for help.

¹³Speak the word and set me free from this life; then I will no longer have to hear these insults.

¹⁴You know, O Lord, that I'm still a virgin; I have never been defiled by a man.

¹⁵Never have I disgraced myself or my father's name, as long as we have lived in this land of exile. My father has no other child to be his heir, and there is no relative whom I can marry. I have already lost seven husbands, so why should I live any longer? But if it is not your will to take my life, at least show mercy to me. Don't let me hear those insults again!

God Hears the Prayers of Tobit and Sarah

¹⁶As Tobit and Sarah were praying, God in heaven heard their prayers

¹⁷and sent his angel Raphael to help them. He was sent to remove the white film from Tobit's eyes, so that he could see again, and to arrange a marriage between Sarah and Tobit's son Tobias, who, as her cousin, had the right to marry her. Raphael was also ordered to expel the demon Asmodeus from Sarah. At the very moment that Tobit went back into his house from the courtyard, Sarah, in her house in Ecbatana, was coming downstairs.

Tobit's Advice to Tobias

¹That same day, Tobit remembered the money that he had left with Gabael at Rages in Media.

²He thought to himself, Now that I have asked God to let me die, I should call my son Tobias and tell him about the money.

^3-4So Tobit called Tobias and said to him, Son, when I die, give me a proper burial. And after I'm gone, show respect to your mother. Take care of her for the rest of her life, and when she dies, bury her beside me. Remember, she risked her life to bring you into this world, so try to make her happy and never do anything that would worry her.

⁵Every day of your life, keep the Lord our God in mind. Never sin deliberately or disobey any of his commands. Always do what is right and never get involved in anything evil.

⁶Be honest, and you will succeed in whatever you do.

⁷Give generously to anyone who faithfully obeys God. If you are stingy in giving to the poor, God will be stingy in giving to you.

⁸Give according to what you have. The more you have, the more you should give. Even if you have only a little, be sure to give something.

⁹This is as good as money saved. You will have your reward in a time of trouble.

^10-11Taking care of the poor is the kind of offering that pleases God in heaven. Do this, and you will be kept safe from the dark world of the dead.

¹²Son, be on your guard against prostitutes. Above all, marry a woman of our tribe, because we are descendants of the prophets. Do not marry anyone who is not related to us. Remember that Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our earliest ancestors, all married relatives. God blessed them with children, and so their descendants will inherit the land of Israel.

¹³Son, be loyal to your own relatives. Don't be too proud to marry one of them. Such pride leads to terrible frustration and ruin, just as laziness brings on severe poverty and causes starvation.

¹⁴Pay your workers each day; never keep back their wages overnight. Honor God in this way, and he will reward you. Behave properly at all times.

¹⁵Never do to anyone else anything that you would not want someone to do to you. Do not drink so much wine that you get drunk, and do not let drinking become a habit.

¹⁶Give food to the hungry and clothes to people in need. If you are prosperous, give generously, and do it gladly!

¹⁷When one of God's faithful people has died, prepare food for the family, but never do this when someone evil dies.

¹⁸Take the advice of sensible people, and never treat any useful advice lightly.

¹⁹Take advantage of every opportunity to praise the Lord your God. Ask him to make you prosper in whatever you set out to do. He does not give his wisdom to the people of any other nation. He is the source of all good things, but he can also destroy you and bring you to certain death, if he wishes. Remember all my instructions. Don't forget them for one minute.

²⁰Tobias, I want you to know that I once left a large sum of money with Gabrias' son, Gabael, at Rages in Media.

²¹We're poor now, but don't worry. If you obey God and avoid sin, he will be pleased with you and make you prosperous.

¹³Stupidity is like a loud, ignorant, shameless woman.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the highest part of town,

¹⁵and calls out to people passing by, who are minding their own business:

¹⁶“Come in, ignorant people!” To the foolish she says,

¹⁷“Stolen water is sweeter. Stolen bread tastes better.”

¹⁸Her victims do not know that the people die who go to her house, that those who have already entered are now deep in the world of the dead.