⁹ As for the gallbladder, if you smear the gall on a person’s eyes in which white spots have appeared, and then blow on the white spots, the eyes will heal.”

Raphael instructs Tobias

¹⁰ When he arrived in Media and was already coming within reach of Ecbatana, ¹¹ Raphael said to the lad, “Tobias my brother!”

He replied, “I’m here!”

Raphael said, “Tonight we must lodge with Raguel your relative. He has a daughter named Sarah.

Tobias and Raphael arrive at Raguel’s house

7 When they^[a] entered Ecbatana, Tobias said to him, “Brother Azariah, bring me at once to Raguel our relative.” So Azariah took him to Raguel’s house. They found him sitting at the gate of the courtyard and greeted him first.

Raguel said to them, “Many greetings, brothers. You have come generously and in health!” Raguel brought them into his house ² and said to his wife Edna, “This young man looks so much like my relative Tobit!”

³ Then Edna asked them, “Where are you from, brothers?”

They answered her, “We are from the Naphtalites, who are captives in Nineveh.”

⁴ She asked them, “Do you know our relative Tobit?”

They replied, “We do indeed know him.”

Then she asked them, “Is he well?”

⁵ They answered, “He is alive and well.” Tobias said, “He is my father.”

⁶ Raguel jumped up and kissed him. He began to cry ⁷ and say, “Bless you, young man, son of a good and generous father! What a terrible tragedy that such a righteous and charitable man has been made blind!” He embraced his relative Tobias and wept.

⁸ Raguel’s wife Edna also wept for Tobit, as did Sarah their daughter.

Tobias marries Sarah

⁹ Raguel slaughtered a ram from his flock and eagerly entertained his guests. When they had bathed and washed, they reclined to eat dinner. Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azariah, tell Raguel that he should give me my relative Sarah as a wife.”

¹⁰ Raguel overheard Tobias’ comment and said to the young man, “Eat, drink, and be happy tonight! There is no other man except you, my brother, for whom it is proper to marry my daughter Sarah. What’s more, I have no right to give her to any man except for you since you are my nearest relative.

“But, my lad, I must tell you the truth. ¹¹ I have given her to seven men among our relatives, and they all died the night they tried to have sex with her. Now, however, eat and drink, my son, and may the Lord act on behalf of you both.”

Tobias replied, “I won’t eat or drink here until you resolve the matters that have to do with me.”

Raguel said to him, “I will do it. She is given to you according to the ruling of the scroll from Moses, and it has been decided in heaven that she be given to you. Receive your sister! From now on you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today until eternity. And tonight may the Lord of heaven grant success to both of you, my son, and may he shower you both with mercy and peace.”

¹² Raguel sent for his daughter Sarah, and she came to him. He took hold of her hand, delivered her to Tobias, and said, “Take her to be your wife according to the Law and according to the ruling written in the scroll from Moses. Take her and lead her to your father safely. And may the God of heaven grant both of you success with peace.”

¹³ Then Raguel called for her mother and told her to bring a scroll. He wrote a marriage contract, stating how he was giving her to him as a wife according to the ruling of the scroll from Moses. Then he sealed it.^{[b] 14} From that point on, they began to eat and drink.

¹⁵ Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, “My sister, prepare the other bedroom and take Sarah there.”

Psalm 128

A pilgrimage song.

God’s most important command

²⁸ One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, ³⁰ and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.^{[a] 31} The second is this, You will love your neighbor as yourself.^[b] No other commandment is greater than these.”

³² The legal expert said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truthfully said that God is one and there is no other besides him. ³³ And to love God with all of the heart, a full understanding, and all of one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more important than all kinds of entirely burned offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered with wisdom, he said to him, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.