Tobit 4

How to read these pages: the text itself comes first, verse by verse, in the volume's own translation. Beneath each verse stands its Meaning — a rendering of what the passage's terms name in the inner life, drawn from the correspondences the text itself uses. The text is never altered; the meaning is offered, not imposed.

King James Version

1In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media,

In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media — the trusted substance remembered at the very hour death was desired: memory itself becoming an instrument of the answer.

2And said with himself, I have wished for death; wherefore do I not call for my son Tobias that I may signify to him of the money before I die?

And said within himself: I have wished for death; wherefore do I not call for my son Tobias, that I may signify to him of the money before I die? — the father turning his last counsel toward the son's journey.

3And when he had called him, he said, My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not thy mother, but honour her all the days of thy life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not.

And when he had called him, he said: My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not your mother, but honour her all the days of your life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not — the first counsel: honour for the affection through which the state was born.

4Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for thee, when thou wast in her womb: and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave.

Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for you, when you were in her womb; and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave — remembrance of the mother's peril as the ground of lifelong honour.

5My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness.

My son, be mindful of the indwelling LORD our God all your days, and let not your will be set to sin — to error, to acting apart from the divine order — or to transgress His commandments: do uprightly all your life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness — the whole law gathered into mindfulness.

6For if thou deal truly, thy doings shall prosperously succeed to thee, and to all them that live justly.

For if you deal truly, your doings shall prosperously succeed to you, and to all them that live justly — right relation to the divine order bearing its own fruit.

7Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee.

Give alms of your substance — deeds of mercy-giving out of what is truly yours; and when you give alms, let not your eye be envious, neither turn your face from any poor, and the face of God — His Presence — shall not be turned away from you.

8If thou hast abundance give alms accordingly: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little:

If you have abundance, give alms accordingly; if you have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little — giving measured by the heart's proportion, not by the store's size.

9For thou layest up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necessity.

For you lay up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity — mercy stored in the inner realm against the hour of need.

10Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffereth not to come into darkness.

Because alms deliver from death, and suffer not to come into darkness — unilluminated consciousness: mercy-giving as a deliverance worked in the giver.

11For alms is a good gift unto all that give it in the sight of the most High.

For alms is a good gift unto all that give it in the sight of the Most High — the Source under His title of height, who sees the gift and the giver together.

12Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of thy fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of thy father’s tribe: for we are the children of the prophets, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: remember, my son, that our fathers from the beginning, even that they all married wives of their own kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed shall inherit the land.

Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of your fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of your father's tribe; for we are the children of the prophets — the forth-telling faculties — Noe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: Noah — Rest, the still point that rests in God; Abraham — Faith itself, the father-mind that believes the promise; Isaac — the joy-child of promise; Jacob — the striving intellect, until it wrestles and is renamed. Remember, my son, that our fathers from the beginning all married wives of their own kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed shall inherit the land — union within the order of the house, that the pattern-seed may unfold in its own kind.

13Now therefore, my son, love thy brethren, and despise not in thy heart thy brethren, the sons and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great want: for lewdness is the mother of famine.

Now therefore, my son, love your brethren, and despise not in your heart your brethren, the sons and daughters of your people, in not taking a wife of them; for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great want; for lewdness is the mother of famine — the lack-state born wherever the affections are scattered without order.

14Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give him it out of hand: for if thou serve God, he will also repay thee: be circumspect my son, in all things thou doest, and be wise in all thy conversation.

Let not the wages of any man, which has wrought for you, tarry with you, but give him it out of hand; for if you serve God, He will also repay you: be circumspect, my son, in all things you do, and be wise in all your conversation — justice prompt, and the whole conduct watched.

15Do that to no man which thou hatest: drink not wine to make thee drunken: neither let drunkenness go with thee in thy journey.

Do that to no man which you hate; drink not wine — the spiritual essence — to make you drunken; neither let drunkenness go with you in your journey — the golden measure, and sobriety kept as a travelling companion.

16Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked; and according to thine abundance give alms: and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms.

Give of your bread — your truth-substance — to the hungry, and of your garments to them that are naked; and according to your abundance give alms; and let not your eye be envious, when you give alms.

17Pour out thy bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked.

Pour out your bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked — to states twisted away from the order, acting from sense alone: nourishment honoured at the grave of the right-ordered, withheld from the disorder that would only feed on it.

18Ask counsel of all that are wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable.

Ask counsel of all that are wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable — no profitable word beneath the wise state's hearing.

19Bless the Lord thy God alway, and desire of him that thy ways may be directed, and that all thy paths and counsels may prosper: for every nation hath not counsel; but the Lord himself giveth all good things, and he humbleth whom he will, as he will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of thy mind.

Bless the indwelling LORD your God always, and desire of Him that your ways may be directed, and that all your paths and counsels may prosper; for every nation has not counsel; but the LORD Himself gives all good things, and He humbles whom He will, as He will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of your mind — counsel itself confessed as a gift of the indwelling LORD, who orders every state.

20And now I signify this to they that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media.

And now I signify this to you: that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media — the counsel ending in the trust disclosed: the substance laid up for the son's journey.

21And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for thou hast much wealth, if thou fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.

And fear not, my son, that we are made poor; for you have much wealth, if you fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in His sight — wealth redefined: the state rich in right relation, though stripped in the outer.

Companion volume to The Why Bible — the King James Apocrypha, rendered in its spiritual meanings. First final edition, October 2026.