Open English Translation TOB Chapter 13

13 And Tovi (Tobit) wrote a prayer for rejoicing, and said,

“Blessed is God who lives forever!

Blessed is his kingdom!

2 Because he scourges, and shows mercy.

He leads down to the grave,[fn] and brings up again.

There’s no one who’ll escape his hand.

3 Give thanks to him before the Gentiles, all you Israeli people (Israel)!

Because he’s scattered us among them.

4 Declare his greatness, there.

Extol him before all the living,

because he’s our master,

and God is our Father forever.

5 He’ll scourge us for our iniquities, and will again show mercy,

and will gather us out of all the nations among whom you’re all scattered.

6 If you turn to him with your whole heart and with your whole soul,

to do truth before him,

then he’ll turn to you,

and won’t hide his face from you.

See what he’ll do with you.

Give him thanks with your whole mouth.

Bless the master of righteousness.

Exalt the eternal King.

I give him thanks in the land of my captivity,

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

Turn, you sinners, and do righteousness before him.

Who can tell if he’ll accept you and have mercy on you?

7 I exalt my god.

My soul exalts the King of heaven,

and rejoices in his greatness.

8 Let all men speak,

and let them give him thanks in Yerushalem (Jerusalem).

9 Oh Yerushalem, the holy city,

he’ll scourge you for your sons’ works,

and will again have mercy on the sons of the righteous.

10 Give thanks to the master with goodness,

and bless the eternal King,

that his tabernacle may be built in you again with joy,

and that he may make glad in you those who are captives,

and love in you forever those who are miserable.

11 Many nations will come from afar to the name of the master God

with gifts in their hands, even gifts to the King of heaven.

Generations of generations will praise you,

and sing songs of rejoicing.

12 All those who hate you’re cursed.

All those who love you forever will be blessed.

13 Rejoice and be extremely glad for the sons of the righteous;

for they’ll be gathered together and will bless the master of the righteous.

14 Oh blessed are those who love you.

They’ll rejoice for your peace.

Blessed are all those who mourned for all your scourges;

because they’ll rejoice for you when they’ve seen all your glory.

They’ll be made glad forever.

15 Let my soul bless God the great King.

16 Because Yerushalem (Jerusalem) will be built with sapphires, emeralds, and precious stones;

your walls and towers and battlements with pure gold.

17 Yerushalem’s streets will be paved with beryl, carbuncle, and stones of Ofir.

18 All her streets will say, “Hallelujah!”

and give praise, saying, “Blessed be God, who’s exalted you forever!”