Tobit 6
1 And as they went on their journey,
they came in the evening to the river Tigris, and they lodged there.
2 And when the young man went down to
wash himself, a fish leaped out of the river, and would have devoured him.
3 Then the angel said unto him, Take
the fish. And the young man laid hold of the fish, and drew it to land.
4 To whom the angel said, Open the
fish, and take the heart and the liver and the gall, and put them up safely.
5 So the young man did as the angel
commanded him; and when they had roasted the fish, they did eat it: then they
both went on their way, till they drew near to Ecbatane.
6 Then the young man said to the
angel, Brother Azarias, to what use is the heart and the liver and the gall of
the fish? 7 And he said unto him,
Touching the heart and the liver, if a devil or an evil spirit trouble any, we
must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and the party shall be
no more vexed. 8 As for the gall,
it is good to anoint a man that hath whiteness in his
eyes, and he shall be healed.
9 And when they were come near to
Rages, 10 the angel said to the young
man, Brother, to day we shall lodge with Raguel, who is thy cousin; he also
hath one only daughter, named Sara; I will speak for her, that she may be
given thee for a wife. 11 For to thee
doth the right of her appertain, seeing thou only art of her kindred.
12 And the maid is fair and wise: now
therefore hear me, and I will speak to her father; and when we return from
Rages we will celebrate the marriage: for I know that Raguel cannot marry her
to another according to the law of Moses, but he shall be guilty of death,
because the right of inheritance doth rather appertain to thee than to any
other.
13 Then the young man answered the
angel, I have heard, brother Azarias, that this maid hath been given to seven
men, who all died in the marriage chamber.
14 And now I am the only son of my
father, and I am afraid, lest, if I go in unto her, I die, as the others
before: for a wicked spirit loveth her, which hurteth no one except those
which come unto her: wherefore I also fear lest I die, and bring my father's
and my mother's life because of me to the grave with sorrow: for they have no
other son to bury them.
15 Then the angel said to him, Dost
thou not remember the precepts that thy father gave thee, that thou shouldest
marry a wife of thine own kindred? wherefore hear me, O my brother; for she
shall be given thee to wife; and make thou no reckoning of the evil spirit;
for this same night shall she be given thee in marriage.
16 And when thou shalt come into the
marriage chamber, thou shalt take the ashes of perfume, and shalt lay upon
them some of the heart and liver of the fish, and shalt make a smoke with it:
17 and the devil shall smell it, and
flee away, and never come again any more: but when thou shalt come to her,
rise up both of you, and pray to God which is merciful, who will have pity on
you, and save you: fear not, for she is appointed unto thee from the
beginning; and thou shalt preserve her, and she shall go with thee. Moreover I
suppose that she shall bear thee children. Now when Tobias had heard these
things, he loved her, and his heart was effectually joined to her. And he came
to Ecbatane.