12:1. Later Tobit summoned his son Tobias
and
said to him:
My
son, make sure the man
who
went with you
was
paid his salary.
And
please pay him extra.
12:2. So Tobias replied:
O
father, I can afford
to
give him half
of
all I brought back.
12:3. For he has brought me back
to
you safely.
He
has taken care of my wife
and
gave me money
and
healed you as well.
12:4. So the elderly man told him:
That
is fair to him.
12:5. So he summoned the angel
and
he said to him:
Take
half of all everything
we
have brought back
and
you can safely take leave.
12:6. The angel responded to them both, saying:
Praise
be to God, for He is magnificent.
Praise
Him for those things
He
has done for you
as
witnessed by everyone around.
We
are honored to praise God
and
exalt His Name
and
we are honored to put forth
our
service to God.
Therefore
we won’t hesitate to praise Him.
12:7. It may be good
to
keep the confidence of a king.
But
it is greater
to
praise the works of God.
Do
that which is greater
and
wickedness will not touch you.
12:8. Prayer is good
with
fasting and charity
in
righteousness.
A
little done with righteousness
is
better than a lot done
with
unrighteousness.
It
is better to give charity
than
to store away gold.
12:9. Because charity can
deliver
one from death
and
cleanse one from wickedness.
Those
who give charity
will
have their righteousness
filled
with life.
12:10. But those who are wicked
become
their own enemies in their life.
12:11. Certainly I hid nothing from you.
For
I told you that it was good
but
it is greater
to
praise the works of God.
12:12. Now when you wanted
Sara
to become your daughter in law
I
reminded you to pray to the Holy One.
And
when you buried your dead
I
was with also with you.
12:13, And when you didn’t delay
to
get up and leave your dinner
and
bury the dead
your
good deed was not hidden from me
and
I was with you.
12:14. And now God has sent me
to
heal you
and
Sara your daughter in law.
12:15. I am Raphael
one
of the seven holy angels
which
present the prayers of the saints
and
enter before the glory of the Holy One.
12:16. Then both of them were awed
and
bowed down to the ground
in
their reverence.
12:17. But he told them:
Do
not worry
for
all will go well for you
and
therefore praise God.
12:18. For due not to any favor from me
but
by the will of our God
did
I come here.
Therefore
praise Him
in
all your days.
12:19. All this time was I with you
yet
I never ate or drank
and
still you saw this vision.
12:20. So therefore give thanks to God
as
I will return to Him who sent me
but
now write all these things
which
have been done
into
a book.
12:21. Then he rose up
and
they saw him no more.
12:22. And they praised
the
great and wonderful works of God
and
how the angel of the Lord
had
appeared before them.
