1
When I arrived home and my wife Anna and my son Tobias were restored to me, at the feast of Pentecost, which is the sacred festival of the seven weeks, a good dinner was prepared for me and I sat down to eat.
2
Upon seeing the abundance of food I said to my son, "Go and bring whatever poor man of our brethren you may find who is mindful of the Lord, and I will wait for you."
3
But he came back and said, "Father, one of our people has been strangled and thrown into the market place."
4
So before I tasted anything I sprang up and removed the body to a place of shelter until sunset.
5
And when I returned I washed myself and ate my food in sorrow.
6
Then I remembered the prophecy of Amos, how he said, "Your feasts shall be turned into mourning, and all your festivities into lamentation." And I wept.
7
When the sun had set I went and dug a grave and buried the body.
8
And my neighbors laughed at me and said, "He is no longer afraid that he will be put to death for doing this; he once ran away, and here he is burying the dead again!"
9
On the same night I returned from burying him, and because I was defiled I slept by the wall of the courtyard, and my face was uncovered.
10
I did not know that there were sparrows on the wall and their fresh droppings fell into my open eyes and white films formed on my eyes. I went to physicians, but they did not help me. Ahikar, however, took care of me until he went to Elymais.
11
Then my wife Anna earned money at women's work.