Apr 28 - Tobit 9-14

¹Then Tobias called the Angel to him, whom he indeed considered to be a man, and he said to him: "Brother Azariah, I implore you to listen to my words²If I should give myself to be your servant, I would not be equally worthy of your providence³Even so, I beg you to take with you beasts or even servants, and to go to Gabael in Rages, the city of the Medes, and restore to him his handwritten note, and receive from him the money, and petition him to come to my wedding celebration⁴For you know that my father numbers the days. And if I delay one day more, his soul will be afflicted⁵And surely you see how Raguel has obtained my oath, an oath that I am not able to spurn.⁶Then Raphael borrowed four of the servants of Raguel, and two camels, and he traveled to Rages, the city of the Medes. And upon finding Gabael, he gave him his handwritten note, and he received from him all the money⁷And he revealed to him, concerning Tobias the son of Tobit, all that had been done. And he made him come with him to the wedding celebration⁸And when he had entered into the house of Raguel, he discovered Tobias reclining at table. And leaping up, they kissed each other. And Gabael wept, and he blessed God⁹And he said: "May the God of Israel bless you, for you are the son of a man most noble and just, fearing God and performing almsgiving¹⁰And may a blessing be spoken over your wife and over your parents¹¹And may you see your sons, and the sons of your sons, even to the third and fourth generation. And may your offspring be blessed by the God of Israel, who reigns forever and ever.¹²And when all had said, "Amen," they approached the feast. But they also celebrated the marriage feast with the fear of the Lord

Chapter 10

¹In truth, when Tobias was delayed because of the marriage celebration, his father Tobit was worried, saying: "Why do you think my son is delayed, or why has he been detained there²Do you think that Gabael has died, and that no one will repay him the money?³And so he began to be exceedingly sad, both he and his wife Anna with him. And they both began to weep together, because their son did not at least return to them on the appointed day⁴But his mother wept inconsolable tears, and also said: "Woe, woe to me, O my son. Why did we send you to journey far away, you: the light of our eyes, the staff of our old age, the solace of our life, the hope of our posterity⁵Having all things together as one in you, we ought not to have dismissed you from us.⁶And Tobit was saying to her: "Be calm, and do not be troubled. Our son is safe. That man, with whom we sent him, is faithful enough.⁷Yet she was by no means able to be consoled. But, leaping up every day, she looked all round, and traveled around all the ways, by which there seemed any hope that he might return, so that she might possibly see him coming from afar⁸In truth, Raguel said to his son-in-law, "Remain here, and I will send a message of your health to your father Tobit.⁹And Tobias said to him, "I know that my father and my mother have now counted the days, and their spirit must be tortured within them.¹⁰And when Raguel had repeatedly petitioned Tobias, and he was by no means willing to listen to him, he delivered Sarah to him, and half of all his substance: with men and women servants, with sheep, camels, and cows, and with much money. And he dismissed him away, in safety and gladness, from him¹¹saying: "May the holy Angel of the Lord be with your journey, and may he lead you through unharmed, and may you discover that all is right concerning your parents, and may my eyes see your sons before I die.¹²And the parents, taking hold of their daughter, kissed her and let her go¹³admonishing her to honor her father-in-law, to love her husband, to guide the family, to govern the household, and to behave irreproachably herself

Chapter 11

¹And as they were returning, they came through to Haran, which is in the middle of the journey, opposite Nineveh, on the eleventh day²And the Angel said: "Brother Tobias, you know how you left behind your father³And so, if it pleases you, let us go on ahead, and let the family follow after us with a slower step, together with your bride, and with the animals.⁴And since it pleased him to go on in this way, Raphael said to Tobias, "Take with you from the gall of the fish, for it will be necessary." And so, Tobias took from its gall, and he went ahead⁵But Anna sat beside the way every day, on the top of a hill, from where she would be able to see for a long distance⁶And while she was watching for his arrival from that place, she looked far off, and soon she realized that her son was approaching. And running, she reported it to her husband, saying: "Behold, your son arrives.⁷And Raphael said to Tobias: "As soon as you enter into your house, immediately adore the Lord your God. And, giving thanks to him, approach your father, and kiss him⁸And immediately anoint his eyes from this gall of the fish, which you carry with you. For you should know that his eyes will soon be opened, and your father will see the light of heaven, and he will rejoice at the sight of you.⁹Then the dog, which had been with them in the way, ran ahead, and, arriving like a messenger, he showed his joy by fawning and wagging his tail¹⁰And rising up, his blind father began to run, stumbling with his feet. And giving his hand to a servant, he ran on to meet his son¹¹And receiving him, he kissed him, as did his wife, and they both began to weep for joy¹²And when they had adored God and had given thanks, they sat down together¹³Then Tobias, taking from the gall of the fish, anointed his father’s eyes¹⁴And about half an hour passed, and then a white film began to come out of his eyes, like the membrane of an egg¹⁵So, taking hold of it, Tobias pulled it away from his eyes, and immediately he received his sight¹⁶And they glorified God: Tobit especially, and his wife, and all those who knew him¹⁷And Tobit said, "I bless you, O Lord God of Israel, because you have chastised me, and you have saved me, and behold, I see my son Tobias.¹⁸And then, after seven days, Sarah, the wife of his son, and all the family arrived safely, along with the sheep, and the camels, and much money from his wife, but also with that money which he had received from Gabael¹⁹And he explained to his parents all the benefits from God, which he had produced all around him, by means of the man who had led him²⁰And then Ahikar and Nadab arrived, the maternal first cousins of Tobias, rejoicing for Tobias, and congratulating with him for all the good things that God had revealed all around him²¹And for seven days they feasted, and all were rejoicing with great joy

Chapter 12

¹Then Tobit called his son to him, and he said to him, "What are we able to give to this holy man, who accompanied you?²Tobias, answering, said to his father: "Father, what wages shall we give him? And what could be worthy of his benefits³He led me and he brought me back safely. He received the money from Gabael. He caused me to have my wife. And he confined the demon away from her. He caused joy to her parents. Myself, he rescued from being devoured by the fish. As for you, he also caused you to see the light of heaven. And so, we have been filled with all good things through him. What could we possibly give to him that would be worthy of these things⁴But I implore you, my father, to ask him if he would perhaps deign to take for himself half of all the things that have been brought.⁵And calling him, the father especially, and the son, they took him aside. And they began to petition him, so that he would deign to accept ownership of one half part of all things that they had brought⁶Then he said to them privately: "Bless the God of heaven, and confess to him in the sight of all who live, for he has acted in his mercy toward you⁷For it is good to conceal the secret of a king, just as it is also honorable to reveal and to confess the works of God⁸Prayer with fasting is good, and almsgiving is better than hiding away gold in storage⁹For almsgiving delivers from death, and the same is what purges sins and makes one able to find mercy and everlasting life¹⁰But those who commit sin and iniquity are enemies to their own soul¹¹Therefore, I reveal the truth to you, and I will not hide the explanation from you¹²When you prayed with tears, and buried the dead, and left behind your dinner, and hid the dead by day in your house, and buried them by night: I offered your prayer to the Lord¹³And because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary for you to be tested by trials¹⁴And now, the Lord has sent me to cure you, and to free Sarah, your son’s wife, from the demon¹⁵For I am the Angel Raphael, one of seven, who stand before the Lord.¹⁶And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear, they fell upon the ground on their face¹⁷And the Angel said to them: "Peace be to you. Fear not¹⁸For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God. Bless him, and sing to him¹⁹Indeed, I seemed to eat and drink with you, but I make use of an invisible food and drink, which cannot be seen by men²⁰Therefore, it is time that I return to him who sent me. But as for you, bless God, and describe all his wonders.²¹And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they were not able to see him any longer²²Then, lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, they blessed God. And rising up, they described all his wonders

Chapter 13

¹And so, the elder Tobit, opening his mouth, blessed the Lord, and he said: "O Lord, you are great in eternity and your kingdom is with all ages²For you scourge, and you save. You lead down to the grave, and you bring up again. And there is no one who can escape from your hand³Confess to the Lord, O sons of Israel, and praise him in the sight of the nations⁴For, indeed, he has dispersed you among the Gentiles, who are ignorant of him, that you may proclaim his wonders, and that you may cause them to know that there is no other almighty God, except him⁵He has chastised us because of our iniquities, and he will save us because of his mercy⁶Therefore, look upon what he has done for us, and, with fear and trembling, confess to him. And extol the King of all ages with your works⁷But as for me, I will confess him in the land of my captivity. For he has revealed his majesty within a sinful nation⁸And so, be converted, you sinners, and do justice in the presence of God, believing that he will act in his mercy toward you⁹But I and my soul will rejoice in him¹⁰Bless the Lord, all you his elect. Keep days of rejoicing, and confess to him¹¹O Jerusalem, the city of God, the Lord has chastised you for the works of your hands¹²Confess to the Lord with your good things, and bless the God of all ages, so that he may rebuild his tabernacle in you, and he may recall all the captives to you, and you may be glad in all ages and forever¹³You will shine with a splendid light, and all the ends of the earth will adore by you¹⁴Nations from far away will come to you, bringing gifts. And in you, they shall adore the Lord, and they will hold your land in sanctification¹⁵For they will invoke the Great Name in you¹⁶Those who despise you will be cursed, and all those who blaspheme by you will be condemned, and those who build you up will be blessed¹⁷But you will rejoice in your sons, because they will all be blessed, and they will be gathered together for the Lord¹⁸Blessed are all those who love you and who rejoice in your peace¹⁹Bless the Lord, O my soul, for the Lord our God has freed Jerusalem, his city, from every one of her tribulations²⁰Happy will I be, if any of my offspring will be left to see the brightness of Jerusalem²¹The gates of Jerusalem will be built from sapphire and emerald, and all its walls will be surrounded with precious stones²²All its streets will be paved with stones, white and clean. And ‘Alleluia’ will be sung throughout its neighborhoods²³Blessed be the Lord, who has exalted it, and may he reign over it, forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 14

¹And the sermon of Tobit was completed. And after Tobit received his sight, he lived forty-two years, and he saw the sons of his grandchildren²And so, having completed one hundred and two years, he was buried honorably at Nineveh³For he was fifty-six years old, when he lost the light of his eyes, and he was sixty years old, when he truly received it again⁴And, in truth, the remainder of his life was in gladness. And so, with the good accomplishment of the fear of God, he departed in peace⁵But, in the hour of his death, he called to himself his son Tobias, along with his sons, the seven youths who were his grandsons, and he said to them⁶"Nineveh will pass away soon. For the word of the Lord goes forward, and our brothers, who have been dispersed away from the land of Israel, shall return to it⁷Thus its deserted land will be entirely filled again. And the house of God, which was burned like incense within it, will be rebuilt again. And all those who fear God will return there⁸And the Gentiles will relinquish their idols, and they will enter into Jerusalem, and they will dwell in it⁹And all the kings of the earth will rejoice in it, adoring the King of Israel¹⁰Therefore, my sons, listen to your father. Serve the Lord in truth, and seek to do the things that please him¹¹And command your sons, so that they may accomplish justice and almsgiving, and so that they may be mindful of God and may bless him at all times, in truth and with all their strength¹²And now, sons, listen to me, and do not remain here. But, on whatever day you will bury your mother near me in one sepulcher, from that time, direct your steps to leave this place¹³For I see that its iniquity will bring about its end.¹⁴And it happened that, after the death of his mother, Tobias withdrew from Nineveh, with his wife, and sons, and sons of sons, and he was returned to his father-in-law¹⁵And he found them unharmed in a good old age. And he took care of them, and he closed their eyes. And all the inheritance of the house of Raguel passed to him. And he saw the sons of his sons to the fifth generation¹⁶And, having completed ninety-nine years in the fear of the Lord, with joy, they buried him¹⁷But all his family and all his lineage continued with a good life and in holy conversation, so that they were acceptable both to God and to men, as well as to everyone who dwelt in the land