The Demon Is Expelled
8 When they had finished the meal, and it was time to go to bed, Sarah's parents led young Tobias to the bedroom. 2 He remembered Raphael's instructions, so he took the fish's liver and heart out of the bag where he had been keeping them. Then he placed them on the burning incense. 3 (A)The smell drove the demon away from them, and he fled to Egypt. Raphael chased after him and caught him there. At once he bound him hand and foot.
The Prayer of Tobias
4 When Tobias and Sarah were alone behind closed doors, Tobias got up from the bed and said to his wife,
Get up, dear. Let's pray for the Lord to be merciful and to protect us. 5 (B)Sarah got up so that they could pray together and ask God for his protection. Then Tobias prayed:
God of our ancestors, you are worthy of praise.
May your name be honored forever and ever
by all your creatures in heaven and on earth.
6 (C)You created Adam and gave him his wife Eve
to be his helper and support.
They became the parents of the whole human race.
You said,
It is not good for man to live alone.
I will make a suitable helper for him.
7 Lord, I have chosen Sarah because it is right,
not because I lusted for her.
Please be merciful to us
and grant that we may grow old together.
8 Then they both said
Amen 9 and went to bed for the night.
Anxious Parents
Later that night, Raguel called his servants, and together they went out to dig a grave, 10 because Raguel thought,
Tobias will probably die too, and people will laugh and make fun of us. 11 When they finished digging the grave, Raguel went back into the house and said to his wife, 12
Send one of the servant women to find out if Tobias is still alive. If he isn't, then we will bury him before anyone finds out. 13 They then sent a servant woman to take a lamp and see if he was still alive. As she opened the door, she could see that both of them were sound asleep. 14 So she went back and told Raguel and Edna that Tobias was alive and unharmed. 15 Then Raguel praised the God of heaven:
Raguel's Prayer
You are worthy of our praise, O God.
May your people praise you forever,
may they praise you with pure hearts.
16 I praise you because you have made me glad;
you have been merciful to us,
and my worst fears did not come true.
17 You deserve our praise, O Lord;
you were merciful to this young couple,
the only children of their parents.
Now, grant them your mercy and protection.
Let them live out their lives in happiness and love.
18 Then Raguel ordered his servants to fill in the grave before dawn.
The Wedding Feast
19 Raguel told his wife to bake enough bread for a big feast. Then he went out to the herd and brought back two oxen and four rams, which he ordered his servants to slaughter in preparation for the wedding feast. 20 (D)He called for Tobias and vowed that he would not let him leave for two weeks.
Stay, and we will eat and drink together, he said.
It will do my daughter good after her terrible suffering. 21 Then you may take half of what I own and go back to your parents safe and sound. You will inherit the other half when Edna and I die. Have no doubts about our love for you; from now on you are as much our son as Sarah is our daughter. You can be sure of that, my son.
Footnotes
- Tobit 8:3
- Tobit 8:15
- Tobit 8:20
Cross references
- Tobit 8:3 : Matt 12:43
- Tobit 8:5 : S of 3Y 3
- Tobit 8:6 : Gen 2:18
- Tobit 8:20 : Gen 24:55
