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About this book

Tobit

About this book

Tobit's Song of Praise

Chapter 13

1 And he said Blessed is God that lives for ever, and his kingdom,⁠ For he chastises, and shows mercy.⁠ 2 He leads down to Hades below the earth,⁠ And he brings up from the great destruction; And there is nothing that shall escape his hand.⁠ 3 Give thanks to him before the Gentiles, you children of Israel, For he has scattered you among them, 4 And there he has shown you his greatness; And extol him before all the living. Because he is our Lord, and he our God, and he our Father, Yes, he is God to all the ages:⁠ 5 He will chastise you for your iniquities,⁠ And will show mercy to you all.⁠ 6 When you turn to him out of all the nations Wherever you shall be scattered, With your whole heart and with your whole soul, to do truth before him, Then he will turn to you, and will no longer hide his face from you.⁠ And now see what he has done with you, And give him thanks with your whole mouth,⁠ And bless the Lord of righteousness, And exalt the everlasting King. I, in the land of my captivity, give him thanks, And show his strength and majesty to nations of sinners.)⁠ Turn, you sinners, and do righteousness before him.⁠ Who can tell if he will accept you and have mercy on you? 7 I exalt my God, and my soul shall rejoice in the King of heaven; 8 Of his greatness let all men tell, And let them give him thanks in Jerusalem. 9 O Jerusalem, you holy city! he will chastise you for the works of your hands, And will again have mercy on the sons of the righteous. 10 Give thanks to the Lord with goodness, and bless the everlasting King, That your tabernacle may be built in you again with joy, And that he may make glad in you all that are captives, And love in you all that are miserable and all the generations of eternity. 11 A bright light shall shine to all the ends of the earth; Many nations shall come from afar, And the inhabitants of the utmost ends of the earth to your holy name; With their gifts also in their hands to the King of heaven,⁠ Generations of generations shall utter rejoicing in you, And your name that is elect to the generations of eternity. 12 Cursed shall be all they that shall speak a hard word; Cursed shall be all they that demolish you, And throw down your walls; And all they that overthrow your towers, And set on fire your habitations; But blessed shall be all they that fear you for ever.⁠ 13 Then go and be exceeding glad for the sons of the righteous: For they all shall be gathered together,⁠ And bless the everlasting Lord. 14 Blessed shall they be that love you;⁠ And blessed shall they be That shall rejoice for your peace: And blessed shall be all the men That shall sorrow for you For all your chastisements: Because they shall rejoice in you And shall see all your joy for ever. 15 My soul does bless the Lord the great King; 16 For Jerusalem shall be built again as his house to all the ages. Happy shall I be if the remnant of my seed come to see your glory And give thanks to the King of heaven. And the gates of Jerusalem shall be built with sapphire and emerald, And all your walls with precious stone. The towers of Jerusalem shall be built with gold, And their battlements with pure gold. The streets of Jerusalem shall be paved With carbuncle and stones of Ophir.⁠ 17 And the gates of Jerusalem shall utter hymns of gladness And all her houses shall say, Halleluiah. Blessed is the God of Israel. And the blessed shall bless the name That is holy for ever and ever.

Texts in conversation

Compare Tobit 13:1 and Daniel 4:34

Deuterocanon · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar regains his sanity and speaks in language that echoes Deuteronomy and also Tobit’s hymn of praise. Both follow this Deuteronomic tradition, one placing it in the mouth of a foreign king and the other in a common prayer.

Passages

Tobit 13:1

Deuterocanon
1 And he said Blessed is God that lives for ever, and his kingdom, For he chastises, and shows mercy. 2 He leads down to Hades below the earth, And he brings up from the great destruction; And there is nothing that shall escape his hand. 3 Give thanks to him before the Gentiles, you children of Israel, For he has scattered you among them, 4 And there he has shown you his greatness; And extol him before all the living. Because he is our Lord, and he our God, and he our Father, Yes, he is God to all the ages:
225–175 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Tobit

Daniel 4:34

Hebrew Bible
33 Now in that very moment this pronouncement about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers and his nails like a bird’s claws. 34 But at the end of the appointed time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me. I extolled the Most High, and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever. For his authority is an everlasting authority, and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he wishes with the army of heaven and with those who inhabit the earth. No one slaps his hand and says to him, “What have you done?”
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

"... This prayer can almost be detached from the events and stand alone as a hymn to God. Some scholars see it as an independent composition inserted here; e.g. Zimmermann and Deselaers. See also Nickelsburg. It reflects the influence of Deuteronomy 31–32, where we have Moses’ final words to the people of Israel. Tobit’s prayer also addresses Jerusalem, and prays that the Temple will last forever. The prayer reflects the Deuteronomic view that God punishes for transgressions, but also is merciful ..."
Robert J. Littman, Tobit: The Book of Tobit in Codex Sinaiticus (Leiden: Brill, 2008), 149.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Tobit 13:1 and Daniel 4:34

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