Tobit 12
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Raph′ael’s Wages
12 Tobit then called his son Tobi′as 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 He replied, “Father, it would do me no harm to give him half of what I have brought back. 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 The old man said, “He deserves it.” 5 So he called the angel and said to him, “Take half of all that you two have brought back.”
Raph′ael’s Exhortation
6 Then the angel[a] 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 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 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 For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity[b] and of righteousness will have fulness of life; 10 but those who commit sin are the enemies of their own lives.
Raph′ael Discloses His Identity
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 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 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 So now God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. 15 I am Raph′ael, 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 alarmed; and they fell upon their faces, for they were afraid. 17 But he said to them, “Do not be afraid; you will be safe. But praise God for ever. 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 All these days I merely appeared to you and did not eat or drink, but you were seeing a vision. 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 Then they stood up; but they saw him no more. 22 So they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and acknowledged that the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.
Footnotes
- Tobit 12:6 Gk he
- 12.9 charity: See note on 4.10.
Tobit 12
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 12
God’s Providence Revealed.[a] 1 After the wedding celebrations had been completed, Tobit summoned his son Tobiah and said to him, “My son, it is time that you paid the wages owed to the man who journeyed with you, and in addition you should give him a bonus.” 2 Tobiah replied, “Father, how much should I pay him? I would not be averse to giving him half of all the possessions he brought back with me. 3 He returned me to you safe and sound, he cured my wife, he brought back the money with me, and he healed you. How much extra should I give him?”
4 Tobit answered, “It would only be just, my son, for him to receive half of all that he brought back.” 5 So Tobiah called his companion and said, “For your wages take half of all that you brought back, and go in peace.”
6 [b][c]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.[d] 9 For almsgiving saves us from death and purges every type of sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a long life, 10 but those who commit sin and do evil deeds are their own worst enemies.
11 “I will now tell you the entire truth; nothing will be hidden from you. I have already said to you that it is prudent to keep a king’s secret but that the works of God should be publicly proclaimed as they deserve. 12 I can now reveal to you, Tobit, that when you and Sarah prayed, I was the one who presented your supplications before the Glory of the Lord, as well as when you buried the dead. 13 On the occasion when you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner to go and bury the dead man, 14 I was sent to test you.[e] However, at the same time, God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready to enter before the Glory of the Lord.”[f]
16 The two men were deeply shaken and fell to the ground in fear. 17 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.[g] Peace be with you. Praise God forevermore. 18 As for me, when I came to you, the decision was not in accord with my will but in accord with the will of God. Therefore, continue to bless him every day of your life and sing hymns of praise to him. 19 When you thought that you saw me eating, that was only a vision—I did not eat anything. 20 Now raise yourselves from the ground and give thanks to God. I am about to ascend to him who sent me. Make a written record of all these things that have happened to you.”
21 He then ascended, and when they stood up they could no longer see him. 22 They kept blessing God by singing hymns of praise, and they gave thanks to him for the marvelous deeds he had accomplished when an angel of God had appeared to them.
Footnotes
- Tobit 12:1 At the very hour of receiving his compensation, Tobiah’s mysterious guide reveals his true identity: the angel Raphael. He is entrusted—as his name indicates—with soothing the pains of the righteous undergoing trials. In doing so, he is only God’s instrument—it is the Lord who must be thanked.
- 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).
- Tobit 12:14 I was sent to test you: God is frequently shown testing those faithful to him (e.g., Job 1–2).
- Tobit 12:15 See Rev 8:2. The Bible mentions only three names of angels: Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel. Seven is a number that indicates fullness and perfection.
- Tobit 12:17 Do not be afraid: compare Mt 28:5, 10.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
