3 Courage in Burying the Dead

In the days of Shalmaneser I performed many acts of charity to my kindred, those of my tribe.

I would give my food to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw the dead body of any of my people thrown out behind the wall of Nineveh, I would bury it.

I also buried any whom King Sennacherib put to death when he came fleeing from Judea in those days of judgment that the king of heaven executed upon him because of his blasphemies. For in his anger he put to death many Israelites; but I would secretly remove the bodies and bury them. So when Sennacherib looked for them he could not find them.

Then one of the Ninevites went and informed the king about me, that I was burying them; so I hid myself. But when I realized that the king knew about me and that I was being searched for to be put to death, I was afraid and ran away.

Then all my property was confiscated; nothing was left to me that was not taken into the royal treasury, except my wife Anna and my son Tobias.

But not forty days passed before two of Sennacherib's sons killed him, and they fled to the mountains of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon reigned after him. He appointed Ahikar, the son of my brother Hanael over all accounts of his kingdom, and he had authority over the entire administration.

Ahikar interceded for me, and I returned to Nineveh. Now Ahikar was chief cupbearer, keeper of the signet, and in charge administration of the accounts under King Sennacherib of Assyria; so Esar-haddon reappointed him. He was my nephew and so a close relative.

Then during the reign of Esar-haddon I returned home, and my wife Anna and my son Tobias were restored to me.

At our festival of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I reclined to eat.

When the table was set for me and an abundance of food placed before me, I said to my son Tobias,

' Go my child, and bring whatever poor person you may find of our people among the exiles in Nineveh, who is wholeheartedly mindful of God, and he shall eat together with me. I will wait for you, until you come back.'

So Tobias went to look for some poor person of our people. When he had returned he said,

' Father! '

And I replied,

' Here I am, my child.'

Then he went on to say,

' Look, father, one of our own people has been murdered and thrown into the market-place, and now he lies there strangled.

Then I sprang up, left the dinner before even tasting it, and removed the body from the square and laid it in one of the rooms until sunset when I might bury it. When I returned, I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said against Bethel,

' Your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation.'

And I wept.