Tobit 6:10-8:9
Good News Translation
10 Raphael said,
Tobias, my friend.
Yes, what is it? Tobias asked.
Raphael continued,
Tonight we will stay at the home of your relative Raguel. He has only one child, a daughter named Sarah, 11 and since you are her closest relative, you have the right to marry her. You also have the right to inherit all her father's property. 12 She is sensible, brave, and very beautiful; and her father is a good man. Tonight I'll discuss the marriage proposal with her father, and he will consent to give her to you as your bride. Then, when we return home from the town of Rages, we will celebrate the marriage. Raguel cannot refuse to let you marry her, and he cannot let any other man have her. If he did, then according to the Law of Moses he would deserve the death penalty. He knows that you are the only man who has the right to marry his daughter and receive the inheritance, so follow my advice. Raguel and I will discuss the matter tonight and arrange your engagement to Sarah. When we get back from the city of Rages, we will take her home with us.
13 Tobias then said to Raphael,
Azarias, my friend, I have already heard about Sarah's seven former husbands, and how each one dropped dead on his wedding night, even before he could get to bed. 14 According to the story I heard, a demon killed them. He doesn't harm Sarah, but he kills every man who tries to get near her. I am afraid of this demon. I am an only child, and if I were to die, the sorrow would send my parents to their graves. They don't even have another son to bury them.
15 The angel replied,
Have you already forgotten your father's instructions? He told you to marry a woman from your own tribe. So, listen carefully to what I say. Don't worry about the demon. Marry Sarah! I know that tonight Raguel will let Sarah marry you. 16 When you go into the bedroom, take the fish's heart and liver with you and place them on the burning incense, 17 so that the odor will spread throughout the room. When the demon smells it, he will leave and never come near Sarah again. But before you consummate the marriage, both of you must get up and pray for the Lord in heaven to be merciful to you and to protect you. Don't be afraid. Sarah was meant to be yours from the beginning of creation. You will rescue her from the demon, and she will go with you to your home. You and Sarah will have many children, whom you will love very much. So don't worry!
Tobias listened very carefully to what Raphael had to say. He knew that Sarah was a relative on his father's side of the family. He began to fall in love with her and looked forward to marrying her.
At Raguel's House
7 When Tobias and the angel Raphael had entered the city of Ecbatana, Tobias said,
Azarias, my friend, take me to see Raguel as quickly as you can. The angel brought him to Raguel's house, where they found him sitting at the entrance to his courtyard. Raphael and Tobias greeted him first; then he replied,
Come in, my friends. You are welcome in my home.
Raguel brought them into his house 2 and said to his wife Edna,
Doesn't this young man look just like my cousin Tobit?
3 Edna asked them,
Where do you come from?
We are Israelites of the tribe of Naphtali, Tobias and Raphael answered,
but we are now living in exile in the city of Nineveh in Assyria.
4 Edna said,
Do you know our cousin Tobit?
We certainly do know him, they answered.
How is he? she asked.
5 He is alive and well, they replied.
Then Tobias added,
Tobit is my father. 6 (A)At that Raguel got up, and with tears of joy in his eyes he kissed Tobias. 7 Then he said,
God bless you, my child. Your father is a good and noble man. What a terrible tragedy that such an honest and generous man should have lost his sight! He threw his arms around Tobias' neck and wept on his shoulder. 8 His wife Edna and his daughter Sarah also wept for Tobit.
Raguel gave Tobias and Raphael a warm welcome and had one of his rams slaughtered. After the guests had bathed and were about to sit down to eat, Tobias said to Raphael,
Azarias, my friend, when are you going to ask Raguel to let me marry Sarah?
9 But Raguel overheard the question and said to Tobias,
10 Eat and drink something first and enjoy yourself this evening. You have the right to marry Sarah, and I cannot let anyone else marry her, because you are my closest relative. But I must tell you the truth, my son. 11 I have already given her to seven men, all of them relatives. Each one died on his wedding night, as soon as he entered the bedroom. But now, my son, have something to eat and drink. The Lord will take care of you both.
Tobias replied,
I won't eat or drink until you give me your word.
12 Raguel agreed.
Certainly I will, he said.
I will give her to you just as the Law of Moses commands. God in heaven has arranged this marriage, so take her as your wife. From now on, you belong to each other. Sarah is yours today and forever. May the Lord of heaven keep both of you safe tonight. May he be merciful and kind to you.
The Marriage Ceremony
13 Then Raguel called his daughter. When she came in, he took her by the hand and gave her to Tobias with his blessing,
Take her to be your wife according to the teachings in the Law of Moses. Take her safely with you to your father's house. May the God of heaven give you a happy life together.
14 Raguel asked his wife to bring him a blank scroll so that he could write out the marriage contract. Edna brought him the scroll, and Raguel wrote out the agreement, saying that Sarah was given to Tobias according to the teachings in the Law of Moses. 15 After the ceremony they began the meal.
16 Raguel called his wife and said,
Get the spare room ready, my dear, and take Sarah there.
17 Edna made up the bed as Raguel had told her. Then she took Sarah into the room with her, and Sarah began to cry.[a] But Edna wiped away her tears and said,
18 Don't worry, Sarah. I'm sure the Lord of heaven will make you happy this time and not sad. So cheer up, my dear. Then Edna left the room.
The Demon Is Expelled
8 When they had finished the meal, and it was time to go to bed, Sarah's parents led young Tobias to the bedroom. 2 He remembered Raphael's instructions, so he took the fish's liver and heart out of the bag where he had been keeping them. Then he placed them on the burning incense. 3 (B)The smell drove the demon away from them, and he fled to Egypt.[b] Raphael chased after him and caught him there. At once he bound him hand and foot.
The Prayer of Tobias
4 When Tobias and Sarah were alone behind closed doors, Tobias got up from the bed and said to his wife,
Get up, dear. Let's pray for the Lord to be merciful and to protect us. 5 (C)Sarah got up so that they could pray together and ask God for his protection. Then Tobias prayed:
God of our ancestors, you are worthy of praise.
May your name be honored forever and ever
by all your creatures in heaven and on earth.
6 (D)You created Adam and gave him his wife Eve
to be his helper and support.
They became the parents of the whole human race.
You said,
It is not good for man to live alone.
I will make a suitable helper for him.
7 Lord, I have chosen Sarah because it is right,
not because I lusted for her.
Please be merciful to us
and grant that we may grow old together.
8 Then they both said
Amen 9 and went to bed for the night.
Anxious Parents
Later that night, Raguel called his servants, and together they went out to dig a grave,
Footnotes
- Tobit 7:17 and Sarah began to cry; some manuscripts have and she began to cry.
- Tobit 8:3 egypt: Egypt was thought of as the most remote part of the world and the home of demons and evil spirits.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
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