Tobit 12
1 Then Tobit called his son Tobias,
and said unto him, My son, see that the man have his wages, which went with
thee, and thou must give him more.
2 And Tobias said unto him, O father,
it is no harm to me to give him half of those things which I have brought:
3 for he hath brought me again to thee
in safety, and made whole my wife, and brought me the money, and likewise
healed thee.
4 Then the old man said, It is due
unto him. 5 So he called the angel,
and he said unto him, Take half of all that ye have brought, and go away in
safety. 6 Then he took them both
apart, and said unto them, Bless God, praise him, and magnify him, and praise
him for the things which he hath done unto you in the sight of all that live.
It is good to praise God, and exalt his name, and honourably to shew forth the
works of God; therefore be not slack to praise him.
7 It is good to keep close the secret
of a king, but it is honourable to reveal the works of God. Do that which is
good, and no evil shall touch you.
8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms
and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with
unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold:
9 for alms doth deliver from death,
and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall
be filled with life: 10 but they that
sin are enemies to their own life.
11 Surely I will keep close nothing
from you. For I said, It was good to keep close the secret of a king, but that
it was honourable to reveal the works of God.
12 Now therefore, when thou didst
pray, and Sara thy daughter in law, I did bring the remembrance of your
prayers before the Holy One: and when thou didst bury the dead, I was with
thee likewise. 13 And when thou didst
not delay to rise up, and leave thy dinner, to go and cover the dead, thy good
deed was not hid from me: but I was with thee.
14 And now God hath sent me to heal
thee and Sara thy daughter in law.
15 I am Raphael, one of the seven
holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out
before the glory of the Holy One.
16 Then they were both troubled, and
fell upon their faces: for they feared.
17 But he said unto them, Fear not,
for it shall go well with you; praise God therefore.
18 For not of any favour of mine, but
by the will of our God I came; wherefore praise him for ever.
19 All these days I did appear unto
you; but I did neither eat nor drink, but ye did see a vision.
20 Now therefore give God thanks: for
I go up to him that sent me; but write all things which are done in a book.
21 And when they arose, they saw him
no more. 22 Then they confessed the
great and wonderful works of God, and how the angel of the Lord had appeared
unto them.