131  And he said

Blessed is God that liveth for ever, and his kingdom,

2  For he chastiseth, and showeth mercy.

He leadeth down to Hades below the earth,

And he bringeth up from the great destruction;

And there is nothing that shall escape his hand.

3  Give thanks unto him before the Gentiles, ye children of Israel,

For he hath scattered you among them,

4  And there he hath shown you his greatness;

And extol ye him before all the living.

Because he is our Lord, and he our God, and he our Father,

Yea, he is God to all the ages:

5  He will chastise you for your iniquities,

And will show mercy unto you all.

6  When ye turn unto him out of all the nations

Whithersoever ye shall be scattered,

With your whole heart and with your whole soul, to do truth before him,

Then he will turn unto you, and will no longer hide his face from you.

And now see what he hath wrought 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 unto nations of sinners.

Turn, ye sinners, and do righteousness before him.

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

The New Jerusalem, vv. 7–18a.

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, thou holy city! he will chastise thee for the works of thy 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 thy tabernacle may be builded in thee again with joy,

And that he may make glad in thee all that are captives,

And love in thee all that are miserable and all the generations of eternity.

11  A bright light shall shine unto all the ends of the earth;

Many nations 〈shall〉 come from afar,

And the inhabitants of the utmost ends of the earth unto thy holy name;

With their gifts also in their hands unto the King of heaven,

Generations of generations shall utter rejoicing in thee,

And thy name that is elect unto the generations of eternity.

12  Cursed shall be all they that shall speak a hard word;

Cursed shall be all they that demolish thee,

And throw down thy walls;

And all they that overthrow thy towers,

And set on fire thy habitations;

But blessed shall be all they that fear thee 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 thee;

And blessed shall they be

That shall rejoice for thy peace:

And blessed shall be all the men

That shall sorrow for thee

For all thy chastisements:

Because they shall rejoice in thee

And shall see all thy joy for ever.

15  My soul doth bless the Lord the great King;

16  For Jerusalem shall be builded again as his house unto all the ages.

Happy shall I be if the remnant of my seed come to see thy glory

And give thanks unto the King of heaven.

And the gates of Jerusalem shall be builded with sapphire and emerald,

And all thy walls with precious stone.

The towers of Jerusalem shall be builded with gold,

And their battlements with pure gold.

17  The streets of Jerusalem shall be paved

With carbuncle and stones of Ophir.

18  And the gates of Jerusalem shall utter hymns of gladness

And all her houses shall say, Hallelujah.

Final benediction, v. 18b.

Blessed is the God of Israel.

And the blessed shall bless the name

That is holy for ever and ever.

Conclusion of the History, 14:1–15.

1. TOBIT’S AGE, 14:1, 2.