Tobit Praises God

1I said:

I will praise the eternal God,

who rules forever.

2God punishes and shows mercy;

he can send people down

to the world of the dead,

or rescue them

from great destruction.

No one can escape his power.

3People of Israel,

God scattered you

among the nations,

so tell them about him.

4 He has shown you his greatness.

And while everyone listens,

you should praise him,

because he will forever be

our Lord and God and Father.

5He will punish you if you sin,

but then he will have mercy

and gather you from the nations

where you are scattered.

6If you turn to God

with all your heart

and are faithful to him,

he will turn to you once again;

no longer will he refuse

to help you.

Shout praises to him,

because he has been so kind

and faithful to you,

and he will rule as king forever!

I must live far from my country,

but I will still praise God

and tell this nation of sinners

how great and powerful he is.

I will say, "Turn from your sins,

and obey God.

Who knows?

Maybe God will be kind

and have mercy on you."

7I will praise my God,

the King of Heaven,

and celebrate his greatness.

8Praise him, people of Jerusalem.

9 God will punish your holy city

because you have sinned,

but if you obey him,

he will again be kind to you.

10The Lord is good, so praise him

and honor his kingdom;

then he will again allow you

to set up his sacred tent

and celebrate there.

He will cheer up your exiles

and always show his love

to those who are suffering.

11Jerusalem, you will give light

to the whole world,

and people will come to you

from faraway nations,

bringing gifts for your holy God,

the King of Heaven.

One generation after another

will celebrate in you,

the city God has chosen.

12God will put a curse

on those who insult you,

and on those who capture you

and tear down your walls,

destroy your towers,

and burn your homes.

But he will bless anyone

who shows respect for you.

13Celebrate, because the Lord

will gather together those

who are faithful to him,

and he will bless them

for all time.

14He will bless those

who love you, Jerusalem--

those who are happy

when you have peace,

and who are sad

when you have trouble.

They will celebrate with you

and see your joy forever.

15I praise the Lord,

the Great King,

16because, Jerusalem,

you will be rebuilt,

and you will be his home

for all time.

I will be glad

if one of my descendants

can see your glory

and praise the King of Heaven.

Your gates will be made

of sapphires and emeralds,

and your walls will be covered

with other jewels.

Your towers will be of gold

all the way to the top.

The streets within you

will be paved with rubies

and jewels from Ophir.

17Your gates will sing with joy,

and your houses will shout,

"Praise the Lord!

Praise the God of Israel!"

And God's people will praise

his holy name forever.