Apr 27 - Tobit 5-8
Tobit
1Then Tobias responded to his father, and he said: "I will do everything just as you have instructed me, father2But I do not know how to obtain this money. He does not know me, and I do not know him. What proof shall I give to him? And I do not know any part of the way, which leads to that place.3Then his father answered him, and he said: "Indeed, I have a written agreement about that in my possession, which, when you show it to him, he will immediately repay it4But go out now, and inquire after some faithful man, who would go with you to keep you safe in return for his wages, so that you may receive it while I am still alive.5Then Tobias, departing, found a splendid young man, standing girded and seemingly ready for travel6And not knowing that he was an Angel of God, he greeted him, and he said, "Where are you from, good young man?7And so he answered, "From the sons of Israel." And Tobias said to him, "Do you know the way that leads to the region of the Medes?8And he answered: "I know it. And I have frequently walked through all its paths, and I stayed with Gabael, our brother, who lives in Rages, a city of the Medes, which is situated at the mount of Ecbatana.9Tobias said to him, "I implore you, wait here for me, until I tell these same things to my father.10Then Tobias, entering, revealed all these things to his father. Upon which, his father, in admiration, asked that he would enter to him11And so, entering, he greeted him, and he said, "May gladness be always with you.12And Tobit said, "What kind of gladness will be for me, since I sit in darkness and do not see the light of heaven?13And the young man said to him, "Be steadfast in soul. Your cure from God is near.14And so Tobit said to him, "Are you able to lead my son to Gabael in Rages, a city of the Medes? And when you return, I will pay you your wages.15And the Angel said to him, "I will lead him, and I will bring him back to you.16And Tobit responded to him, "I ask you to tell me: which family or which tribe are you from?17And Raphael the Angel said, "Do you seek the family of the one you hire, or else the hired hand himself, to go with your son18But, lest perhaps I cause you to worry: I am Azariah, the son of Hananiah the great.19And Tobit responded, "You are from a great family. But I ask you, do not be angry that I wanted to know your family.20But the Angel said to him, "I will lead your son safely, and I will bring him back safely to you.21And so Tobit, answering, said, "May you walk well, and may God be with you on your journey, and may his Angel accompany you.22Then, when all things were ready which were to be carried on their journey, Tobias said farewell to his father, and to his mother, and the two of them walked together23And when they had set out, his mother began to weep, and to say: "You have taken the staff of our old age, and you have sent him away from us24I wish that the money, for which you sent him, had never been25For our poverty has been sufficient for us, so that we might count it as riches that we saw our son.26And Tobit said to her: "Do not weep. Our son will arrive safely, and he will return safely to us, and your eyes shall see him27For I believe that the good Angel of God accompanies him and that he orders all things well which occur around him, such that he will be returned to us with gladness.28At these words, his mother ceased weeping, and she was silent
1And so Tobias continued on, and the dog was following him, and he stayed at the first stopping point, near the river Tigris2And he went out to wash his feet, and behold, an immense fish came out to devour him3And Tobias, being frightened of it, cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Sir, it is attacking me!4And the Angel said to him, "Catch it by the gills, and draw it to you." And when he had done so, he pulled it onto dry land, and it began to thrash before his feet5Then the Angel said to him: "Disembowel this fish, and put aside his heart, and his gall, and his liver for yourself. For these things are necessary as useful medicines.6And when he had done so, he roasted its flesh, and they took it with them on the way. The rest they salted, so that it might be sufficient for them, until they would arrive at Rages, a city of the Medes7Then Tobias questioned the Angel, and he said to him, "I implore you, brother Azariah, to tell me what remedies these things hold, which you have told me to retain from the fish?8And the Angel, answering, said to him: "If you put a little piece of its heart on burning coals, its smoke will drive away all kind of demons, whether from a man or from a woman, so that they will no longer approach them9And the gall is useful for anointing the eyes, in which there may be a white speck, and they will be cured.10And Tobias said to him, "Where do you prefer that we stay?11And the Angel, responding, said: "Here is one named Raguel, a man closely related to you from your tribe, and he has a daughter named Sarah, but he has no other male or female, except her12All his livelihood is dependent upon you, and you ought to take her to yourself in marriage13Therefore, ask for her from her father, and he will give her to you as wife.14Then Tobias responded, and he said: "I hear that she has been given to seven husbands, and they passed away. But I have even heard this: that a demon killed them15Therefore, I am afraid, lest this may happen to me also. And since I am the only child of my parents, I might send their old age with sorrow to the grave.16Then the Angel Raphael said to him: "Listen to me, and I will reveal to you who they are, over whom the demon can prevail17For example, those who receive marriage in such manner as to exclude God from themselves and from their mind, and in such a manner as to empty themselves to their lust, like the horse and mule, which have no understanding, over them the demon has power18But you, when you will have accepted her, enter the bedroom and for three days keep yourself continent from her, and empty yourself to nothing other than prayers with her19Moreover, on that night, burn the liver of the fish like incense, and the demon will be put to flight20In truth, on the second night, you will become ready to receive a physical union like that of the holy Patriarchs21And then, on the third night, you will obtain a blessing, so that healthy children may be procreated from you both22And so, the third night having been accomplished, you will receive the virgin with the fear of the Lord, led more by love of children than by physical desire, so that, as the offspring of Abraham, you will then obtain a blessing in children
1And so they went to Raguel, and Raguel received them with gladness2And Raguel, gazing upon Tobias, said to Anna his wife, "How much like my cousin is this young man!3And when he had spoken this, he said, "Which of our brethren are you from, young men?4But they said, "We are from the tribe of Naphtali, from the captivity of Nineveh.5And Raguel said to them, "Do you know my brother Tobit?" They said to him, "We know him.6And since he was saying many good things about him, the Angel said to Raguel, "The Tobit about whom you inquire is the father of this young man.7And Raguel threw himself towards him and kissed him with tears and weeping upon his neck, saying, "May a blessing be upon you, my son, because you are the son of a good and most noble man.8And his wife Anna, and their daughter Sarah, were weeping9And so, after they had spoken, Raguel instructed a sheep to be killed, and a feast to be prepared. And when he exhorted them to recline for dinner10Tobias said, "Here, today, I will not eat or drink, unless you first confirm my petition, and promise to give Sarah your daughter to me.11When Raguel heard this word, he became afraid, knowing what had befallen those seven men, who had approached her. And he began to fear, lest it might happen to him also in the same way. And, since he wavered and gave no further response to the petition12the Angel said to him: "Do not be afraid to give her to this one, because this one fears God. He is obliged to be joined to your daughter. Because of this, no other one could have her.13Then Raguel said: "I do not doubt that God has admitted my prayers and tears before his sight14And I believe, therefore, that he has caused you to come to me, so that this one might be joined in marriage to one of her own kindred, according to the law of Moses. And now, do not continue to doubt that I will give her to you.15And taking the right hand of his daughter, he gave it into the right hand of Tobias, saying, "May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be with you. And may he join you together in marriage and fulfill his blessing in you.16And taking paper, they made a written record of the marriage17And after this, they feasted, blessing God18And Raguel called his wife Anna to him, and he instructed her to prepare another bedroom19And she brought her daughter Sarah into it, and she was weeping20And she said to her, "Be steadfast in spirit, my daughter. May the Lord of heaven give you gladness in place of the grief that you have had to endure.
1In truth, after they had dined, they introduced the young man to her2And so, Tobias, remembering the word of the Angel, took part of the liver from his bag, and he placed it over the live coals3Then the Angel Raphael caught the demon, and bound him in the desert of upper Egypt4Then Tobias exhorted the virgin, and he said to her: "Sarah, get up and let us pray to God this day, and tomorrow, and the following day. For, during these three nights, we are being joined to God. And then, when the third night has passed, we ourselves will be joined together5For certainly, we are the children of the saints, and we must not be joined together in such a manner as the heathens, who are ignorant of God.6And so, rising up together, they both prayed earnestly, at the same time, that health might be given to them7And Tobias said: "Lord, the God of our fathers, may the heavens and the earth bless you, and the sea, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all your creatures that are in them8You formed Adam from the mud of the earth, and you gave Eve to him as a helper9And now, O Lord, you know that I take my sister in conjugal union, not by reason of worldly pleasure, but solely for the love of posterity, in which your name may be blessed forever and ever.10Sarah likewise said, "Be merciful to us, O Lord, be merciful to us. And let us both grow old together in health.11And it happened, about the time of the rooster’s crowing, that Raguel ordered his servants to be summoned, and they went out with him together to dig a grave12For he said, "Lest perhaps, in the same way, it may have happened to him, as it did also to the other seven men who approached her.13And when they had prepared the pit, Raguel returned to his wife, and he said to her14"Send one of your maids, and let her see if he is dead, so that I may bury him before the dawn of day.15And so, she sent one of her maidservants, who entered the bedroom and discovered them safe and unharmed, sleeping both together16And returning, she reported the good news. And they blessed the Lord: Raguel, especially, and his wife Anna17And they said: "We bless you, Lord God of Israel, because it has not happened in the way that we thought it might18For you have acted in your mercy toward us, and you have excluded from us the enemy who pursued us19Moreover, you have had compassion on two only children. Make them, O Lord, able to bless you more fully and to offer you a sacrifice of your praise and of their health, so that all peoples everywhere may know that you alone are God in all the earth.20And immediately Raguel instructed his servants to refill the pit, which they had made, before daylight21And then he told his wife to make ready a feast, and to prepare all the provisions that are necessary for those who undertake a journey22Likewise, he caused two fat cows and four rams to be killed, and a banquet to be prepared for all his neighbors and every one of his friends23And Raguel pleaded with Tobias to delay with him for two weeks24Moreover, of all the things that Raguel possessed, he gave one half part to Tobias, and he made a writing, so that the half that remained should also pass into the ownership of Tobias, after their deaths