Content

CAP 14
1 And the wordis of Tobie [Note: Tobie The preisable knowleching of Tobie, and his profecie of heuenli Jerusalem. ] weren endid; and aftir that he was liytned, he lyuede two and fourti yeer, and siy the sones of hise sones sones.
2 For whanne an hundrid yeer and tweyn weren fillid, he was biried worschipfuli in Nynyue.
3 `For he of sixe and fifti yeer loste the liyt of iyen; sotheli he sixti yeer eeld resseyuede `that liyt.
4 Forsothe the residue of his lijf was in ioie, and he yede in pees with good encresyng of Goddis drede.
5 Forsothe in the our of his deeth he clepide to hym Tobie, his sone, and seuene yonge sones of hym, hise sones sones,
6 and seide to hem, The perischyng of Nynyue schal be niy, for the word of God schal not falle doun [Note: sum is profesie of manaas, and this is chaungid, as the meritis of men chaungen; and in this maner Jonas profeciede the distriyng of Nynyue, but for thei diden penaunce, this peyne was delayed; and whanne thei turneden ayen to her synnes, God yaf ful doom of distriynge of Nynyue bi profesie of predestynacioun ether of ful doom, as it is in Goddis knowyng, and this profesie ether doom is neuere chaungid. ]; and youre britheren, that ben scaterid fro the lond of Israel, schulen turne ayen to it.
7 Sotheli al deseert lond therof schal be fillid, and the hows of God, which is brent ther ynne, schal be bildid ayen, and alle that dreden God schulen turne ayen thidur.
8 And hethene men schulen forsake her idols [Note: this profesie was fillid in part, whanne the Jewis turneden ayen fro Babiloyne; but more perfitly it was fillid in the tyme of Crist and hise apostlis, whanne hethen men forsoken her idols, and camen to cristen feith, and serueden Crist truly, King of Israel. ], and schulen come to Jerusalem, and schulen `enhabite it.
9 And alle the kyngis of erthe schulen haue ioie ther ynne, and schulen worschipe the kyng of Israel.
10 Therfor, my sones, here ye youre fadir; serue ye the Lord in drede and treuthe; and enquere ye to do tho thingis that ben plesaunt to hym.
11 And comaunde ye youre sones to do riytfulnessis and almesdedis; that thei be myndeful of God, and blesse God in al tyme, in treuthe and in al her vertu.
12 Now therfor, my sones, here ye me, and nyle ye dwelle here, but in what euer dai ye han biried youre modir biside me in o sepulcre, fro that dai dresse ye youre steppis, that ye go out fro hennus;
13 for Y se that the wickidnesse therof schal `yyue an ende therto.
14 Forsothe it was doon aftir the deeth of his modir, Tobie yede awei fro Nynyue, with his wijf, and sones, and with the sones of sones, and turnede ayen to the fadir and modir of his wijf.
15 And he foond hem sounde in good eelde. And he dide the cure of hem, and he closide her iyen; and he took al the erytage of the hows of Raguel, and he siy the fyuethe generacioun, the sones of hise sones.
16 And whanne nynti yeer and nyne weren fillid in the drede of the Lord, thei birieden hym with ioie.
17 Forsothe al his kynrede, and al his generacioun, dwellide perfitli in good lijf, and in hooli conuersacioun, so that thei weren acceptable bothe to God and to men, and to alle enhabitynge the erthe.