"And Tobit wrote a prayer for rejoicing, and said, Blessed is God that liveth for ever, And blessed is His kingdom. For he scourgeth, and sheweth mercy: He leadeth down to the grave, and bringeth up again: And there is none that shall escape his hand. Give thanks unto Him before the Gentiles, ye children of Israel. For he hath scattered us among them. There declare His greatness, And extol Him before all the living: Because He is our Lord, And God is our Father for ever. And he will scourge us for our iniquities, and will again shew mercy. And will gather us out of all the nations among whom we are scattered. If ye turn to him with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, To do truth before him, Then will He turn unto you, And will not hide His face from you, And see what He will do 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 shew his strength and majesty to a nation of sinners. Turn, ye sinners, and do righteousness before him: Who can tell if he will accept you and have mercy on you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rejoice and be exceeding glad for the sons of the righteous: For they shall be gathered together and shall bless the Lord of the righteous. O blessed are they that love thee; They shall rejoice for Thy peace; Blessed are all they that sorrowed for all thy scourges: Because they shall rejoice for thee, When they have seen all Thy glory: And they shall me made glad forever. Let my soul bless God the great King. For Jerusalem shall be builded with sapphires and emeralds and precious stones; Thy walls and towers and battlements with pure gold. And the streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with beryl and carbuncle and stones of Ophir. And all her streets shall say, Hallelujah, and give praise, Saying, blessed is God, which hath exalted thee for ever." Judith. This is the story of a good and beautiful woman, who, like Esther, saved Israel from a tyrant by stratagem and bravery. Like Tobit, it lays stress on obedience to the Law, of which deeds of kindness form a part. Hence both belong to that period, whence so much emphasis was placed on law enacted. Both Judith and Tobit might be called historical romances. Additions to the Book of Esther. These additions introduce the religious note lacking in the biblical Esther, which does not even mention God. A beautiful prayer is ascribed to Esther, in which she, as a devout Jewess, opens her heart to the Lord. Wisdom Literature.