Our text has He will afflict, but there is good textual authority for “He afflicted,” which is apparently what Good News Translation understands: “Though he punished you….”

For your iniquities may be rendered “for the evil things that you have done.”

He will again show mercy … He will gather you from all the nations: He will gather you (Good News Translation “will bring you home”) is not in our text, which is literally “He will have mercy on all of you out of all the nations.” The clause He will gather you is found in the other Greek text as well as the Old Latin. It is understood in our text, however, and it is legitimate for the translator to put it into words; neither New Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation have a textual footnote here.

An alternative translation model for the last three lines is:

• He will be merciful and bring you out of all the nations where you are in exile.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.