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1 The book of the tales of Tobit, the son of Tobias, and of Ananiel, and of Aduel, and of the tribe of Haziel, of the tribe of Naphtali,

2 And in the days of Enemessar king of Assyria was taken captive from Thisbe, which is on the right hand of Cydius Naphtali, in Galilee, above Asher. I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life in the ways of truth and righteousness

3 And I did many good things to my brethren and my people, who came with me to the land of Assyria, to Nineveh.

4 And when I dwelt in my country, in the land of Israel, when I was yet a youth, then all the tribe of Naphtali my father was falling away from the house of Jerusalem, which was chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to offer sacrifices to all of them there, where the temple of the dwelling place of the Most High was consecrated, and established for all generations for ever.

5 As all the tribes that were separated offered sacrifices to Baal the young woman, so also did the house of Naphtali my father.

6 And I alone often went up to Jerusalem to the feasts, as the everlasting institution commanded all Israel, with the firstfruits and tithes of the produce of the land, and the firstfruits of the wool of the sheep

7 And he gave it to the priests, the sons of Aaron, for the altar: he gave the tithe of all the produce to the sons of Levi who served in Jerusalem; he sold another tithe, and every year he went and spent it in Jerusalem;

8 And the third I gave to whom it belonged, as Deborah my father's mother commanded me, when I was left an orphan after my father.

9 And when I came to manhood, I took a wife, Hannah, of our father's lineage, and begat Tobias by her.

10 And when I was taken captive to Nineveh, all my brethren and my fellow-countrymen were eating of the food of the heathen,

11 but I have kept my soul, and have not eaten,

12 for I have remembered God with all my soul.