8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does goodness mean when a faithful father loses his sight and a young woman's wedding nights end in horror?
The Book of Tobit is an ancient Jewish wisdom tale about two families in distress. In Nineveh, Tobit gives alms and buries the dead, yet becomes blind. His wife, Anna, earns their living by weaving. Far away, Sarah faces shame and grief after the deaths of seven husbands.
Tobit sends his son Tobias to Media to recover his silver. A stranger named Azarias offers to guide him, while Anna grieves at their parting. According to the story, their road brings encounters with a dangerous fish and supernatural forces. Alongside the journey, the text explores prayer, charity, marriage, and how to live when life seems unjust.
What you’ll discover
- Goodness tested by suffering Meet Tobit, whose care for others offers no protection from sudden affliction.
- Two sorrowing households Follow Tobit and Sarah as each turns toward prayer in distress.
- A stranger on the road Travel with Tobias and Azarias, a guide who knows more than he reveals.
- The fish in the Tigris Encounter a startling river scene where an ordinary journey meets the marvelous.
- Plain lessons for living Explore the tale's teachings on charity, faith, and marriage through its troubled families.
Who will love it
For readers who love warm-hearted tales of faith, family bonds, mysterious guides and angelic deliverance, and anyone curious about Jewish and Christian writings outside the Hebrew Bible.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tobit keeps faith in exile and buries the dead
- Two prayers rise from two sorrowing houses
- Tobias sets out with a guide named Azarias
- A fish on the Tigris and a bride in Ecbatana
- What the tale teaches about faith, charity, and marriage
- How the story is told, and why it stands apart
Who’s who
- TobitA devout Israelite exile in Nineveh who gives alms and buries the dead, and who is struck blind despite his goodness.
- AnnaTobit's wife, who must earn the family's living by weaving once he is blind, and who grieves when her son leaves.
- TobiasTobit and Anna's son, an obedient young man sent on a long journey to Media to recover his father's silver.
- SarahRaguel's daughter in Ecbatana, shamed because seven husbands have died on their wedding nights, who longs for release through prayer.
- RaguelSarah's father, a kinsman of Tobit, who is hospitable but fearful for his daughter's future.
- AzariasThe stranger who agrees to guide Tobias to Media and back, and who knows much more than he first says.
- AsmodeusThe demon who plagues Sarah and has caused the deaths of her husbands.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear The Book of Tobit in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Book of Tobit
by Anonymous
Tobias sets out to recover his blind father's silver, guided by a stranger who knows more than he reveals.
25 languages
Excellent
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Book of Tobit is a short tale from the Jewish exile, written by an unknown author in the third or early second century BC, as most scholars judge. It was composed in a Semitic language, Aramaic or Hebrew.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Tobit keeps faith in exile and buries the dead
The book opens with Tobit speaking in the first person. He comes from the tribe of Naphtali and was carried to Nineveh by the Assyrians. He tells us that even as a young man he kept the Law, made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and gave generously to the poor. In exile he stays faithful when many of his neighbors do not.
He is also a man of some standing. Under the Assyrian king Shalmaneser he serves at court, and he leaves a sum of silver in trust with a kinsman named Gabael in the land of Media. That money will matter later. For now it shows that Tobit once had security, and that he spent his wealth on others.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Book of Tobit
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 5,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 5,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is the Book of Tobit about?
It tells of Tobit, a righteous Israelite exile in Nineveh who goes blind, and of Sarah, a woman in Media afflicted by a demon. Tobit's son Tobias travels with a guide, and the two families' stories meet.
Why is the Book of Tobit not in the Protestant Bible?
Protestant churches follow the Hebrew canon, which did not include Tobit, so they place it in the Apocrypha. Catholic and Orthodox churches count it as deuterocanonical and include it in their Old Testament.
Who is Raphael in the Book of Tobit?
Raphael is an angel sent by God to help both Tobit and Sarah. In the story he travels with Tobias under another name, and his name in Hebrew is often understood to mean God heals.
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in the lost books
See all
