Tobit 7-8

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Arrival at Home of Raguel

7 Now when they^[a] entered Ecbatana, Tobias^[b] said to him, “Azariah, my brother, take me straight to our brother Raguel.” So he took him to Raguel’s house, where they found him sitting beside the courtyard door. They greeted him first, and he replied, “Many greetings, my brothers; welcome and good health!” Then he brought them into his house.^{(A) 2} He said to his wife Edna, “How much this young man resembles my kinsman Tobit!”^{(B) 3} Then Edna questioned them, saying, “Where are you from, my brothers?” They answered her, “We belong to the descendants of Naphtali who are exiles in Nineveh.”^{(C) 4} She said to them, “Do you know our kinsman Tobit?” And they replied, “Yes, we know him.” Then she asked them, “Is he in good health?”^{(D) 5} They replied, “He is alive and in good health.” And Tobias added, “He is my father!”^{(E) 6} At that Raguel jumped up and kissed him and wept. ⁷ He also spoke to him as follows, “Blessings on you, my son, offspring of a good and noble father! O most miserable of calamities that such an upright and beneficent man has become blind!” He then embraced his kinsman Tobias and wept.^{(F) 8} His wife Edna also wept for him, and their daughter Sarah likewise wept. ⁹ Then Raguel^[c] slaughtered a ram from the flock and received them very warmly.

Marriage of Tobias and Sarah

When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to dine, Tobias said to Raphael, “Azariah, my brother, ask Raguel to give me my sister Sarah.”^{(G) 10} But Raguel overheard it and said to the young man, “Eat and drink, and be merry tonight. For no one except you, brother, has the right to marry my daughter Sarah. Likewise I am not at liberty to give her to any other man than you because you are my nearest relative. But let me explain to you the true situation more fully, my son.^{(H) 11} I have given her to seven men of our kinsmen, and all died on the night when they went in to her. But now, my son, eat and drink, and the Lord will act on behalf of you both.” But Tobias said, “I will neither eat nor drink anything until you settle the things that pertain to me.” So Raguel said, “I will do so. She is given to you in accordance with the decree in the book of Moses, and it has been decreed from heaven that she be given to you. Take your sister; from now on you are her brother, and she is your sister. She is given to you from today and forever. May the Lord of heaven, my son, guide and prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace.”^{(I) 12} Then Raguel summoned his daughter Sarah. When she came to him, he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias,^[d] saying, “Take her to be your wife in accordance with the law and decree written in the book of Moses. Take her and bring her safely to your father. And may the God of heaven let your journey go smoothly and in his peace.”^{(J) 13} Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material, and he wrote out a copy of a marriage contract, to the effect that he gave her to him as wife according to the decree of the law of Moses.^{[e](K) 14} Then they began to eat and drink.

¹⁵ Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, “Sister, get the other room ready, and take her there.”^{(L) 16} So she went and made the bed in the room as he had told her and brought Sarah^[f] there. She wept for her daughter.^[g] Then, wiping away the tears, she said to her, “Take courage, my daughter; the Lord of heaven grant you joy in place of your sorrow. Take courage, my daughter.” Then she went out.^(M)

Tobias Routs the Demon

8 When they had finished eating and drinking, they wanted to retire, so they took the young man and brought him into the bedroom. ² Then Tobias remembered the words of Raphael, and he took the fish’s liver and heart out of the bag where he had them and put them on the embers of the incense.^{(N) 3} The odor of the fish so repelled the demon that he fled to the remotest parts^[h] of Egypt. But Raphael followed him and at once bound him there hand and foot.^(O)

⁴ When the parents^[i] had gone out and shut the door of the room, Tobias got out of bed and said to Sarah,^[j] “Sister, get up, and let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety.”^{(P) 5} So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias^[k] began by saying,

⁸ And they both together said, “Amen, Amen.” ⁹ Then they went to sleep for the night.

But Raguel arose and called his servants to him, and they went and dug a grave, ¹⁰ for he said, “It is possible that he will die, and we will become an object of ridicule and derision.” ¹¹ When they had finished digging the grave, Raguel went into his house and called his wife, ¹² saying, “Send one of the female slaves and have her go in to see if he is alive. But if he is dead, let us bury him without anyone knowing it.”^{(S) 13} So they sent the female slave, lit a lamp, and opened the door; and she went in and found them lying in bed asleep together. ¹⁴ Then the female slave came out and informed them that he was alive and that nothing was wrong. ¹⁵ So they blessed the God of heaven, and Raguel^[l] said,

¹⁸ Then he ordered his servants to fill in the grave before daybreak.

Wedding Feast

¹⁹ After this he asked his wife to bake many loaves of bread, and he went out to the herd and brought two steers and four rams and ordered them to be slaughtered. So they began to make preparations.^{(W) 20} Then he called for Tobias and^[n] said to him: “You shall not leave here for fourteen days but shall stay here eating and drinking with me, and you shall cheer up my daughter, who has been depressed.^{(X) 21} Take at once half of what I own and return in safety to your father; the other half will be yours when my wife and I die. Take courage, my son. I am your father, and Edna is your mother, and we belong to you as well as to your sister now and forever. Take courage, my son.”^(Y)