Tobit
Chapter 2
1 1 Thus under King Esarhaddon I returned to my home, and my wife Anna and my son Tobiah were restored to me. Then on our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks, a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat.
厄撒哈冬为王时，我回了家，我的妻子亚纳和我的儿子多俾亚也归还了给我。在我们的五旬节日即七七节日，他们为我预备了盛筵，我便坐下准备进膳。
2 2 The table was set for me, and when many different dishes were placed before me, I said to my son Tobiah: ＂My son, go out and try to find a poor man from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh. If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you, so that he can share this meal with me. Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back.＂
在给我预备桌子，摆上丰盛的食品时，我对我的儿子说：＂孩子你去，在掳到尼尼微的同族兄弟中，寻找一个全心怀念上主的穷人，领他来与我们一同进膳。孩子，我等你回来。＂
3 Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours. When he returned he exclaimed, ＂Father!＂ I said to him, ＂What is it, son?＂ He answered, ＂Father, one of our people has been murdered! His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!＂
多俾亚便出去在同族兄弟中寻找一个穷人，他回来时说：＂父亲！我对他说＂孩子！我在这里。＂他接着说＂父亲我看见了我们同族的一个人被杀，扔在市场上，他是刚才在那里被绞死的。＂
4 I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched; and I carried the dead man from the street and put him in one of the rooms, so that I might bury him after sunset.
我立刻跳起来，离开了筵席，连什么都没有尝，就去把他从大街上抬回来，放在一间小屋里，等到太阳西落以后再去埋葬。
5 3 Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow.
我回来沐浴之后，悲伤着吃了些食物；
6 I was reminded of the oracle pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel: ＂Your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation.＂
于是记起了亚毛斯先知对贝特耳发的预言说：你们的庆节将变为悲哀，你们的一切歌曲将变为伤叹。我便哭起来。
7 And I wept. Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him.
太阳西落以后，我去掘了坟把他埋葬了。
8 The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another: ＂Will this man never learn! Once before he was hunted down for execution because of this very thing; yet now that he has escaped, here he is again burying the dead!＂
我的邻居讥讽说：＂他还不怕！他以前为了这事曾被通缉处死，以致必须逃命。看他又埋葬死人。＂
9 That same night I bathed, and went to sleep next to the wall of my courtyard. Because of the heat I left my face uncovered.
当夜，我沐浴之后，便进了我的庭院，靠着庭院的墙睡下了。当时因为天热，我的脸没有盖上，
10 4 I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me, till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts. I went to see some doctors for a cure, but the more they anointed my eyes with various salves, the worse the cataracts became, until I could see no more. For four years I was deprived of eyesight, and all my kinsmen were grieved at my condition. Ahiqar, however, took care of me for two years, until he left for Elymais.
也没有看见小鸟在我上面的墙上，它们的热粪落到我的眼里，即起了一层白膜；我去求医诊治，但是愈给我敷药，我的眼睛愈被白膜所遮蔽，以致完全失明。四年之久，我甚么也看不见。我的众兄弟都为我悲伤，阿希加养了我两年，直到他去厄蓝为止。
11 At that time my wife Anna worked for hire at weaving cloth, the kind of work women do.
那时，我的妻子亚纳去作各种女工，
12 5 When she sent back the goods to their owners, they would pay her. Late in winter she finished the cloth and sent it back to the owners. They paid her the full salary, and also gave her a young goat for the table.
她把做好的工作交给雇主，雇主便付给她工钱到＂狄斯托＂月七日她把布匹剪下，交给雇主，雇主便付给她全部工资，并且还送给她一只小山羊吃。
13 On entering my house the goat began to bleat. I called to my wife and said: ＂Where did this goat come from? Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners; we have no right to eat stolen food!＂
但是小羊一到了我的家里，便开始叫起来；我便叫她来，对她说：＂这只小山羊是那里来的？是不是偷来的？你应该把它还给原主，因为我们不可以吃偷来的东西。＂
14 6 But she said to me, ＂It was given to me as a bonus over and above my wages.＂ Yet I would not believe her, and told her to give it back to its owners. I became very angry with her over this. So she retorted: ＂Where are your charitable deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your true character is finally showing itself!＂
她对我说：＂这是在工资以外送给我的。＂但是我仍不相信，命她归还原主；我且为了这事替她害羞。但是她回答我说：＂你的施舍在那里？你的善行在那里？看，人都知道你得到了什么报酬！＂
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Footnotes（注解）
1 [1] The feast of Weeks: also called by its Greek name Pentecost, was celebrated fifty days after the Passover. Cf Lev 23:15-21; Deut 16:9-12.
2 [2] Almsgiving and charity to the poor are important virtues taught by the book (4:7-11, 16, 17; 12:8, 9; 14:10, 11).
3 [5] I washed myself: because of ritual defilement from touching a corpse (Numbers 19:11-13).
4 [10] Cataracts: literally, ＂white scales, or films.＂ Elymais: the Greek name of ancient Elam, a district northeast of the head of the Persian Gulf.
5 [12] Late in winter: literally, ＂seventh of Dystros,＂ the Macedonian month which corresponds to the Jewish month of Shebat (January-February). For the table: literally, ＂for the hearth＂; the gift had probably been made in view of some springtime festival like the Jewish Purim.
6 [14] Anna's sharp rebuke calls to mind the words of Job's wife (Job 2:9).