Tobit, 12

1. When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called his son Tobias and said, 'My son, you ought to think about paying the amount due to your fellow traveller; give him more than the figure agreed on.'

1. Tobit then called his son Tobias and said to him, "My son, see to the wages of the man who went with you; and he must also be given more."

2. 'Father,' he replied, 'how much am I to give him for his help? Even if I give him half the goods he brought back with me, I shall not be the loser.

2. He replied, "Father, it would do me no harm to give him half of what I have brought back.

3. He has brought me back safe and sound, he has cured my wife, he has brought the money back too, and now he has cured you as well. How much am I to give him for all this?'

3. For he has led me back to you safely, he cured my wife, he obtained the money for me, and he also healed you."

4. Tobit said, 'He has richly earned half what he brought back'.

4. The old man said, "He deserves it."

5. So Tobias called his companion and said, 'Take half of what you brought back, in payment for all you have done, and go in peace.'

5. So he called the angel and said to him, "Take half of all that you two have brought back."

6. Then Raphael took them both aside and said, 'Bless God, utter his praise before all the living for the favour he has shown you. Bless and extol his name. Proclaim before all people the deeds of God as they deserve, and never tire of giving him thanks.

6. Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: "Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks.

7. It is right to keep the secret of a king, yet right to reveal and publish the works of God as they deserve. Do what is good, and no evil can befall you.

7. It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. Do good, and evil will not overtake you.

8. 'Prayer with fasting and alms with uprightness are better than riches with iniquity. Better to practise almsgiving than to hoard up gold.

8. Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold.

9. Almsgiving saves from death and purges every kind of sin. Those who give alms have their fill of days;

9. For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fulness of life;

10. those who commit sin and do evil bring harm on themselves.

10. but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.

11. 'I am going to tell you the whole truth, hiding nothing from you. I have already told you that it is right to keep the secret of a king, yet right too to reveal in a worthy way the words of God.

11. "I will not conceal anything from you. I have said, `It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God.'

12. So you must know that when you and Sarah were at prayer, it was I who offered your supplications before the glory of the Lord and who read them; so too when you were burying the dead.

12. And so, when you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you.

13. When you did not hesitate to get up and leave the table to go and bury a dead man, I was sent to test your faith,

13. When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me, but I was with you.

14. and at the same time God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

14. So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

15. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ever ready to enter the presence of the glory of the Lord.'

15. I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One."

16. They were both overwhelmed with awe; they fell on their faces in terror.

16. They were both alarmed; and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid.

17. But the angel said, 'Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God for ever.

17. But he said to them, "Do not be afraid; you will be safe. But praise God for ever.

18. As far as I was concerned, when I was with you, my presence was not by any decision of mine, but by the will of God; he is the one whom you must bless as long as you live, he the one that you must praise.

18. For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God. Therefore praise him for ever.

19. You thought you saw me eating, but that was appearance and no more.

19. All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision.

20. Now bless the Lord on earth and give thanks to God. I am about to return to him who sent me from above. Write down all that has happened.' And he rose in the air.

20. And now give thanks to God, for I am ascending to him who sent me. Write in a book everything that has happened."

21. When they stood up again, he was no longer visible. They praised God with hymns; they thanked him for having performed such wonders; had not an angel of God appeared to them?

21. Then they stood up; but they saw him no more.

22.

22. So they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and acknowledged that the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.