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Tobit 12:6-8
New Catholic Bible
Tobit 12:6-8
New Catholic Bible
6 [a][b]Raphael called both men aside privately and said to them, “Bless God, and in the presence of all the living praise him and acknowledge all the good things he has done for you. Bless and extol his name with hymns of praise. Proclaim to all people the deeds of God, and never cease to offer thanksgiving to him. 7 The secret of a king should be concealed, but the works of God should be publicly proclaimed as they deserve. Do what is good, and no evil will befall you.
8 “Prayer and fasting are worthy acts, but better than these is almsgiving with justice. A little with righteousness is better than much with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to hoard gold.[c]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Tobit 12:6 Like a teacher of wisdom, Raphael now directs a brief exhortation to Tobit and his son—similar to the one Tobit addressed to his son in Tob 4:3-19.
- Tobit 12:6 These two verses reinforce the Jewish people’s belief that praising God was the most important duty (see Isa 38:16-20).
- Tobit 12:8 Another translation is: “prayer with fasting is a good thing; but true almsgiving is worth more than both of these”; it is a way of speaking used in proverbs (see Sir 40:18-26).
