Tobit’s Praise

¹Then Tobit said:

“Praise God, who lives forever,

for his kingdom lasts for all ages.

²He both punishes and shows mercy.

He takes people to the place of the dead beneath the earth

and raises them up from great destruction.

There is nothing that can escape his hand.

³Praise him before the Gentiles, children of Israel.

He has scattered you among them,

⁴yet he has shown you his greatness even there.

Exalt him in the presence of every living being,

because he is our Lord and our God.

He is our Father and our God forever.

⁵Although he punished you for your sins,

he will also show you his mercy—

you who have been scattered among the nations.

⁶If you turn to him with all your heart and all your soul

to practice truth in his presence,

then he will turn to you

and will no longer hide his face from you.

⁷Now see what he has done for you,

and confess him with a loud voice.

Praise the King of justice,

and exalt his kingdom forever.

In the land of my exile I confess him

and show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners.

Turn around, sinners, and practice justice before him.

Perhaps he will show you his mercy.

As for me, I will exalt my God,

and my soul rejoices in the King of heaven.

⁸Let everyone speak of his majesty

and acknowledge him in Jerusalem.

⁹O Jerusalem, the holy city,

the Lord punished you for your children’s actions.

But he will again have mercy on the children of righteousness.

¹⁰Acknowledge the Lord, for he is good.

Bless the eternal King

so that his dwelling place may be rebuilt in you with joy.

May he cheer all the exiles among you

and love all who are in misery

throughout all generations forever.

¹¹A bright light will shine to the ends of the earth.

Many nations will come to you from far away.

People from the most remote places on earth will come to you, the holy city,

bringing gifts in their hands for the King of heaven.

Generation after generation will be glad in your midst,

and the name of the chosen city will live forever.

¹²All who speak harshly against you will be cursed,

as will all who overtake you and pull down your walls.

Those who overthrow your towers and set your houses on fire will also be cursed.

But all who respect you will be blessed forever.

¹³Go and rejoice for the children of the righteous,

for they will be gathered together

and will praise the eternal Lord.

¹⁴Blessed are all who love you

and who rejoice to see you prosper.

Blessed are all who grieve with you in your afflictions,

for they will rejoice with you when they see your eternal glory.

¹⁵O my soul, praise the Lord, the great King,[#13:15 Or My soul praises the Lord, the great King.]

¹⁶for Jerusalem will be built as his eternal house.[#13:16 Or for in that city his eternal Temple will be built.]

I will be happy if some of my descendants

live to see your glory, O Jerusalem,

and acknowledge the King of heaven.

The gates of Jerusalem will be built with sapphire and emerald,

and all the surrounding walls with precious stones.

The towers of Jerusalem will be built with gold,

and their fortifications with pure gold.

¹⁷The main streets of Jerusalem will be paved

with rubies and precious stones of Ophir.

¹⁸The gates of Jerusalem will sing hymns of joy,

and all the houses will shout, ‘Hallelujah! Praise the God of Israel!’

In you, O Jerusalem, his holy name will be praised forever and ever.”