Tobit 4

¹ Lord, Y axe, that thou assoile me fro the boond of this schenschip, ether certis that thou take me awei fro aboue the erthe. ² Lord, thou wost, that Y neuere coueitide man, and Y haue kept my soule cleene fro al coueitise. ³ Y medlide me neuere with pleieris, nether Y yaf me parcener with hem that goon in vnstablenesse. ⁴ But Y consentide to take an hosebonde with thi drede, not with my lust. ⁵ And ether Y was vnworthi to hem, ether thei perauenture weren not worthi to me; for in hap thou hast kept me to another hosebonde. ⁶ For thi councel is not in the power of man. ⁷ Forsothe ech that worschipith thee hath this for a certeyn, that if his lijf is in preuyng, he schal be corowned; sotheli if he is in tribulacioun, he schal be delyuerid; and if he is in chastisyng, it schal be leueful to come to thi merci. ⁸ For thou delitist not in oure lossis; for after tempest thou makist pesible, and after morenyng and wepyng thou bryngist yn ful ioye. ⁹ God of Israel, thi name be blessid in to worldis, that is, til in to withouten ende. 10 In that tyme the preieris of bothe weren herd in the siyt of glorie of hiyeste God; and Raphael, 11 the hooli aungel of the Lord, was sent for to heele hem bothe, whose preyeris weren rehersid in o tyme in the siyt of the Lord. 13 Therfor whanne Tobie gesside his preier to be herd, that he myyte die, he clepide Tobie, 14 his sone, to hym silf, and seide to hym, My sone, here thou the wordis of my mouth, and bilde thou tho as foundementis in thin herte. 15 Whanne God hath take my soule, byrie thou my bodi; and thou schal haue onour to thi modir in alle the daies of hir lijf; ¹⁶ for thou owist to be myndeful, what perels and how grete sche suffride for thee in hir wombe. ¹⁷ Forsothe whanne also sche hath fillid the tyme of hir lijf, thou schalt birie hir bisidis me. ¹⁸ Sotheli in alle the daies of thi lijf haue thou God in mynde, and be thou war, lest ony tyme thou consente to synne, and forsake the heestis of oure God. ¹⁹ Of thi catel do thou almes, and nyle thou turne awei thi face fro ony pore man; for so it schal be doon, that the face of the Lord be not turned awei fro thee. ²⁰ As thou maist, so be thou merciful. ²¹ If thou hast myche, yyue thou plenteuousli; if thou hast a litil, also be thou bisi to departe wilfuli a litil.