1 Forsothe aftir these thingis, whanne a feeste dai of the Lord was, and a good meete was maad in the hows of Tobie, he seide to his sone,
2 Go thou, and brynge sum men of oure lynage, `that dreden God, that thei ete with vs.
3 And whanne he was goon, he turnede ayen, and telde to hym, that oon of the sones of Israel lai stranglid in the street; and anoon `he skippide fro his sittyng place, and lefte the mete, and cam fastynge to the bodi; and he took it,
4 and bar to his hows pryuely, for to birie hym warli, whanne the sunne was go doun.
5 And whanne he hadde hid the bodi, he eet breed with morenyng and tremblyng,
6 and remembride that word, which the Lord seide bi Amos, the prophete, Youre feeste daies schulen be turned in to morenyng and `lamentacioun, ether weilyng.
7 Sotheli whanne the sunne was go doun, Tobie yede, and biriede hym.
8 Forsothe alle hise neiyboris blameden hym, and seiden, Now for the cause of this thing thou were comaundid to be slayn, and vnnethis thou ascapidist the comaundement of deeth, and eft `biriest thou deed men?
9 But Tobie dredde more God than the kyng, and took awei the bodies of slayn men, and hidde in his hows, and biriede tho in the myddil of nyytis.
10 Sotheli it bifelde, that in sum day he was maad wery of biriyng; and he cam hoom, and leide hym silf bisidis a wal, and slepte;
11 and while he slepte, hoote ordures `fellen doun fro the nest of swalewis on hise iyen; and he was maad blynd.
12 Forsothe herfor the Lord suffride this temptacioun bifalle to hym, that the saumple of his pacience, `as also of seynt Job, schulde be youun to `after comeris.
13 For whi whanne he dredde God euere fro his yong childhed, and kepte hise comaundementis, he was not sory ayens God, for the sikenesse of blyndnesse cam to hym;
14 but he dwellide vnmouable in the drede of God, and dide thankyngis to God in alle the dais of his lijf.
15 For whi as kyngis vpbreididen seynt Job, so it bifelde to this Tobie, hise eldris and kynesmen scorneden his lijf,
16 and seiden, Where is thin hope, for which thou didist almes dedis and biriyngis?
17 Sotheli Tobie blamyde hem, and seide,
18 Nyle ye speke so, for we ben the sones of hooli men, and we abiden that lijf, which God schal yyue to hem that chaungen neuere her feith fro hym.
19 Forsothe Anne, his wijf, yede ech dai to the `werk of weuyng, and brouyte lyuelode, which sche myyte gete of the trauel of hir hondis.
20 Wherof it `was doon, that sche took a kide of geet, and brouyte hoom.
21 And whanne hir hosebonde hadde herd the vois of this kide bletynge, he seide, Se ye, lest perauenture it be of thefte, but `yelde ye it to `hise lordis; for it is not leueful `to vs, ethir to ete ether to touche ony thing of thefte.
22 At these thingis his wijf was wrooth, and answeride, Opynli thin hope is maad veyn, and thin almes dedis apperiden now.
23 And bi these and `othere siche wordis sche seide schenschip to hym.