1 Tobit died peacefully at the age of a hundred and twelve, and received an honorable burial in Nineveh.
2 He was sixty-two years old when he lost his eyesight, and after he recovered it he lived in prosperity, giving alms and continually blessing God and praising the divine Majesty.
3 Just before he died, he called his son Tobiah and Tobiah's seven sons, and gave him this command: "Son, take your children
4 and flee into Media, for I believe God's word which was spoken by Nahum against Nineveh. It shall all happen, and shall overtake Assyria and Nineveh; indeed, whatever was said by Israel's prophets, whom God commissioned, shall occur. Not one of all the oracles shall remain unfulfilled, but everything shall take place in the time appointed for it. So it will be safer in Media than in Assyria or Babylon. For I know and believe that whatever God has spoken will be accomplished. It shall happen, and not a single word of the prophecies shall prove false. "As for our kinsmen who dwell in Israel, they shall all be scattered and led away into exile from the Good Land. The entire country of Israel shall become desolate; even Samaria and Jerusalem shall become desolate! God's temple there shall be burnt to the ground and shall be desolate for a while.
5 But God will again have mercy on them and bring them back to the land of Israel. They shall rebuild the temple, but it will not be like the first one, until the era when the appointed times shall be completed. Afterward all of them shall return from their exile, and they shall rebuild Jerusalem with splendor. In her the temple of God shall also be rebuilt; yes, it will be rebuilt for all generations to come, just as the prophets of Israel said of her.
6 All the nations of the world shall be converted and shall offer God true worship; all shall abandon their idols which have deceitfully led them into error,
7 and shall bless the God of the ages in righteousness. Because all the Israelites who are to be saved in those days will truly be mindful of God, they shall be gathered together and go to Jerusalem; in security shall they dwell forever in the land of Abraham, which will be given over to them. Those who sincerely love God shall rejoice, but those who become guilty of sin shall completely disappear from the land.
8 "Now, as for you, my son, depart from Nineveh; do not remain here.
9 "Now, children, I give you this command: serve God faithfully and do what is right before him; you must tell your children to do what is upright and to give alms, to be mindful of God and at all times to bless his name sincerely and with all their strength.
10 The day you bury your mother next to me, do not even stay overnight within the confines of the city. For I see that people here shamelessly commit all sorts of wickedness and treachery. Think, my son, of all that Nadab did to Ahiqar, the very one who brought him up: Ahiqar went down alive into the earth! Yet God made Nadab's disgraceful crime rebound against him. Ahiqar came out again into the light, but Nadab went into the everlasting darkness, for he had tried to kill Ahiqar. Because Ahiqar had given alms to me, he escaped from the deadly trap Nadab had set for him. But Nadab himself fell into the deadly trap, and it destroyed him.
11 So, my children, note well what almsgiving does, and also what wickedness does--it kills! But now my spirit is about to leave me."
12 They placed him on his bed and he died; and he received an honorable burial. When Tobiah's mother died, he buried her next to his father. He then departed with his wife and children for Media, where he settled in Ecbatana with his father-in-law Raguel.
13 He took respectful care of his aging father-in-law and mother-in-law; and he buried them at Ecbatana in Media. Then he inherited Raguel's estate as well as that of his father Tobit.
14 He died at the venerable age of a hundred and seventeen.
15 But before he died, he heard of the destruction of Nineveh and saw its effects. He witnessed the exile of the city's inhabitants when Cyaxares, king of Media, led them captive into Media. Tobiah praised God for all that he had done against the citizens of Nineveh and Assyria. Before dying he rejoiced over Nineveh's destruction, and he blessed the Lord God forever and ever. Amen.
Versículos relacionados com Tobit, 14:
Tobias 14 narrates the end of the story of Tobias, his son Tobias Jr. and Sara's family. The chapter presents elderly tobias, after living a long and prosperous life alongside his family. He advises his son to honor God and to remain faithful to the law, and then dies in peace. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Tobias 14:
Ecclesiastes 7:1: "Better is the name of good odor than the precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth." This verse talks about the importance of life and how death can be seen as a moment of release from earthly life for a better life in heaven.
Ecclesiastes 12:13: "Of all that has been heard, the end is: fears God and keeps His commandments; for this is the duty of all man." This verse talks about the importance of honoring God and keeping his commandments, which is the advice that Tobias gives his son at the end of his life.
Psalm 90:10: "The days of our lives come to seventy years, and if some, for their robustness, come eighty years, their measure is tired and boring, as it passes quickly, and we fly." This verse talks about the brevity of human life and how we should use it wisely, as Tobias did.
Hebrews 9:27: "And just as men are ordered to die once, after that, judgment." This verse talks about the certainty of death and the following judgment. Like Tobias, we must strive to live our lives justly and pleasantly to God so that we can face judgment with confidence.
2 Timothy 4:7-8: "I fought the good fight, I ended up my career, I have kept the faith. From now on, the crown of justice is stored, which the Lord, just judge, will give me that day; and not just a me, but also to all who love their coming. " This verse talks about the end of life and how those who keep faith and love God will be rewarded in eternal life, like Tobias.
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