Tobit - Chapter 8

¹ When they had finished eating and drinking and it seemed time to go to bed, the young man was taken from the dining room to the bedroom.

² Tobias remembered Raphael's advice; he went to his bag, took the fish's heart and liver out of it and put some on the burning incense.

³ The reek of the fish distressed the demon, who fled through the air to Egypt. Raphael pursued him there, shackled him and strangled him forthwith.

⁴ The parents meanwhile had gone out and shut the door behind them. Tobias rose from the bed, and said to Sarah, 'Get up, my sister! You and I must pray and petition our Lord to win his grace and his protection.'

⁵ She stood up, and they began praying for protection, and this was how he began: You are blessed, O God of our fathers; blessed too is your name for ever and ever. Let the heavens bless you and all things you have made for evermore.

⁶ You it was who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his help and support; and from these two the human race was born. You it was who said, 'It is not right that the man should be alone; let us make him a helper like him.'

⁷ And so I take my sister not for any lustful motive, but I do it in singleness of heart. Be kind enough to have pity on her and on me and bring us to old age together.

⁸ And together they said, 'Amen, Amen,'

⁹ and lay down for the night. But Raguel rose and called his servants, who came and helped him dig a grave.

¹⁰ He had thought, 'Heaven grant he does not die! We should be overwhelmed with ridicule and shame.'

¹¹ When the grave was ready, Raguel went back to the house, called his wife

¹² and said, 'Will you send a maid to the room to see if Tobias is still alive? For if he is dead, we may be able to bury him without anyone else knowing.'

¹³ They sent the maid, lit the lamp, opened the door and the maid went in. She found the two fast asleep together;

¹⁴ she came out again and whispered, 'He is not dead; all is well.'

¹⁵ Then Raguel blessed the God of heaven with these words: You are blessed, my God, with every blessing that is pure; may you be blessed for evermore!

¹⁶ You are blessed for having made me glad. What I feared has not happened, instead you have shown us your boundless mercy.

¹⁷ You are blessed for taking pity on this only son, this only daughter. Grant them, Master, your mercy and your protection; let them live out their lives in happiness and in mercy.

¹⁸ And he made his servants fill the grave in before dawn broke.

¹⁹ He told his wife to make an ovenful of bread; he went to his flock, brought back two oxen and four sheep and gave orders for them to be cooked; and preparations began.

²⁰ He called Tobias and said, 'I will not hear of your leaving here for a fortnight. You are to stay where you are, eating and drinking, with me. You will make my daughter happy again after all her troubles.

²¹ After that, take away a half of all I have, and take her safe and sound back to your father. When my wife and I are dead you shall have the other half. Courage, my boy! I am your father, and Edna is your mother. We are your parents in future, as we are your sister's. Courage, my son!'

Book of Tobit Chapters

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