Tob 3

1 Thanne Tobie inwardli sorewide, and bigan to preye with teeris, and seide, Lord, 2 thou art iust, and alle thi domes ben iust, and alle thi weies ben mercy, and treuthe, and doom. 3 And now, Lord, haue thou mynde of me, and take thou not veniaunce of my synnes, nether haue thou mynde of my trespassis, ethir of my fadris. 4 For we `obeieden not to `thi comaundementis, and we ben takun in to rifelyng, and in to caitifte, and in to deth, and in to `a fable, and in to schenschip to alle naciouns, among whiche thou hast scaterid vs. 5 And now, Lord, thi domes ben grete; for we han not do aftir `thi comaundementis, and we han not go clenli bifor thee. 6 And now, Lord, bi thi wille do thou merci with me, and comaunde thou my spirit to be resseyued in pees; for it spedith more to me to die than to lyue. 7 And so it bifelde in the same dai, that Sare, the douyter of Raguel, was in Rages, a citee of Medeis, and sche herd schenschip of oon of the handmaidis of hir fadir; 8 for sche was youun to seuene hosebondis, and a feend, Asmodeus bi name, killide hem, anoon as thei hadden entrid to hir. 9 Therfor whanne sche blamyde `the damysele for her gilt, the damisele answeride to hir, and seide, Thou sleeresse of thin hosebondis, se we `no more a sone ether a douyter of thee `on erthe; 10 whether also thou wolt sle me, as also thou hast slayn seuene men? At this vois sche yede in to the hiyere closet of hir hows, and thre daies and thre nyytis sche eet not, nether drank; 11 but sche contynuede in preier with teeris, and bisouyte God, that he schulde delyuere hir fro this schenschip. 12 Forsothe it was doon in the thridde dai, while sche hadde fillid the preier, 13 sche blesside the Lord, and seide, God of oure fadris, thi name is blessid, which whanne thou hast be wrooth, schalt do merci, and in tyme of tribulacioun foryyuest synnes to hem, that inwardli clepen thee. 14 Lord, to thee Y turne togidere my face; to thee `Y reise `myn iyen. 15 Lord, Y axe, that thou assoile me fro the boond of this schenschip, ether certis that thou take me awei fro aboue the erthe. 16 Lord, thou wost, that Y neuere coueitide man, and Y haue kept my soule cleene fro al coueitise. 17 Y medlide me neuere with pleieris, nether Y yaf me parcener with hem that goon in vnstablenesse. 18 But Y consentide to take an hosebonde with thi drede, not with my lust. 19 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. 20 For thi councel is not in the power of man. 21 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. 22 For thou delitist not in oure lossis; for after tempest thou makist pesible, and after morenyng and wepyng thou bryngist yn ful ioye. 23 God of Israel, thi name be blessid `in to worldis, that is, til in to withouten ende. 24 In that tyme the preieris of bothe weren herd in the siyt of glorie of hiyeste God; and Raphael, 25 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.