But less than forty days later the king was assassinated by two of his sons, who then escaped into the mountains of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon, who succeeded him as king, placed Ahiqar, my brother Anael's son, in charge of all the accounts of his kingdom, so that he took control over the entire administration. Then Ahiqar interceded on my behalf, and I was able to return to Nineveh. For under Sennacherib, king of Assyria, Ahiqar had been chief cupbearer, keeper of the seal, administrator, and treasurer; and Esarhaddon reappointed him. He was a close relative-in fact, my nephew. (Tobit 1: 21-22)

The assassination of Sennacherib by his sons in 681BC is historically documented. Esarhaddon was the youngest son and ascended to the throne after a period of exile and internal conflict.

The prominence of Tobit's nephew, Ahiqar, reminds us of Joseph in Egypt or Daniel in Babylon, despite exile and oppression they achieve prestige and power.

Ahiqar was a well-known character in a prolific collection of legends and stories across many Middle Eastern cultures. He is often portrayed as a wise and good man who is betrayed by one who he has loved.

Ahiqar is betrayed, Daniel is thrown in the Lion's den, and the descendants of Joseph are made into slaves. But this is not the whole story.

Success and failure, joy and sadness, loyalty and betrayal what - if anything - are we to discern from the contradictory conditions we encounter?