Chapter 12

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.

²And Tobias said unto him, O father, it is no harm to me to give him half of those things which I have brought:

³For he hath brought me again to thee in safety, and made whole my wife, and brought me the money, and likewise healed thee.

⁴Then the old man said, It is due unto him.

⁵So he called the angel, and he said unto him, Take half of all that ye have brought and go away in safety.

⁶Then 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.

⁷It 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.

⁸Prayer 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:

⁹For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Those that exercise alms and righteousness shall be filled with life:

¹⁰But they that sin are enemies to their own life.

¹¹Surely 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.

¹²Now 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.

¹³And 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.

¹⁴And now God hath sent me to heal thee and Sara thy daughter in law.

¹⁵I 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.

¹⁶Then they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces: for they feared.

¹⁷But he said unto them, Fear not, for it shall go well with you; praise God therefore.

¹⁸For not of any favour of mine, but by the will of our God I came; wherefore praise him for ever.

¹⁹All these days I did appear unto you; but I did neither eat nor drink, but ye did see a vision.

²⁰Now therefore give God thanks: for I go up to him that sent me; but write all things which are done in a book.

²¹And when they arose, they saw him no more.

²²Then they confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and how the angel of the Lord had appeared unto them.