CHAPTER 12
1 Then Tobit called to him his son, and said to him, What may we give to this holy man, that came with thee?
2 And Tobias answered, and said to his father, Father, what meed shall we give to him, either what thing may be worthy to his benefices [or his benefits] or his goodnesses?
3 He led me forth, and brought me whole again/and he hath brought me again whole; and he received of Gabael the money that he owed to thee; and he made me to have a wife, and he drove away the fiend [or the devil] from her; he made joy to her father and mother; he delivered me from the devouring of a fish; and he made thee to see the light of heaven; and we be full-filled with all goods by him; what thing worthy to these things may we give to him?
4 But, father, I ask thee, that is, I beseech thee, that thou pray him, if peradventure he shall vouchsafe to take to him the half part of all things, whatever things be brought hither.
5 And the father and the son called him, and took him asides half, and they began to pray him, that he would vouchsafe to have acceptable the half part of all things, which they had brought thither.
6 Then Raphael said to them privily, Bless ye God of heaven, and acknowledge ye to him before all men living, for he hath done his mercy with you.
7 For it is good to hide the private of an earthly king; but it is worshipful to show and acknowledge the works of God.
8 Prayer is good with fasting, and with alms-[deeds], more than to hide treasures of gold;
9 for why alms-[deeds] delivereth from death, and those alms it is that purgeth sins, and maketh man to find everlasting life.
10 Forsooth they that do sin and wickedness, be enemies of their soul.
11 Therefore I show truth to you, and I shall not hide from you a privy word. [Then I open to you the truth, and shall not hide from you the privy word.]
12 When thou, Tobit, prayedest with tears, and buriedest dead men [or buriedest the dead], and leftest thy meat, and hidest those dead men by day in thine house, and buriedest them in the night, I offered thy prayers* to the Lord.
13 And for thou were acceptable to the Lord, it was needful that temptation should prove thee.
14 And now the Lord sent me for to cure thee, and to deliver Sarah, the wife of thy son, from the fiend. [And now the Lord sent me, that I should heal thee, and Sarah, the wife of thy son, from the devil deliver.]
15 For I am Raphael, the angel, one of the seven that be present [or that stand] before the Lord.
16 And when they had heard this, they were disturbed or troubled, that is, they wondered and were astonied, and they fell down trembling upon their faces.
17 And the angel said to them, Peace be to you, do not ye dread;
18 for when I was with you, I was by God’s will [or by the will of God]. Therefore bless ye him, and sing ye to him.
19 Certainly I seemed to eat and to drink with you; but I use invisible meat, and drink that may not be seen of men.
20 Therefore it is time, that I turn again to him, that sent me; but bless ye God, and tell ye out all his marvels; bless ye him, and sing ye to him.
21 And when he had said these things, he was taken [or borne] away from their sight; and they might no more see him.
22 Then they felled down upon their faces the space of three hours, and they blessed God; and they rising up, told all his marvels.
* CHAPTER 12:12 For angels offer to God the prayers of just men; they be spirits of service sent into service, for them that take the heritage of health; to the Book of Hebrews, in the first Chapter.