Raphael’s Wages

¹ When the wedding feast was completed, Tobit called his son Tobias and said to him, “Child, see that you give his wages to the man who went with you, and that you add something over and above.”

² He said to him, “Father, how much am I to give him as his wages? It would not hurt me to give him half of the goods that he carried back with me.

³ For he has led me on my way safe and sound, and he cured my wife, and he fetched the silver with me, and he healed you. How much more shall I give him as wages?”

⁴ Tobit said to him, “It is right, child, for him to take half of all that he has come back carrying.”

⁵ So he called him and said, “Take for your wages half of all that you came back carrying, and depart safe and sound.”

Raphael’s Exhortation

⁶ Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: “Bless God and acknowledge him before all the living with respect to the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing hymns to his name. Report the words of God to all people honourably, and do not hesitate to acknowledge him.

⁷ It is an honourable thing to keep a king’s secret hidden and gloriously to reveal and acknowledge the works of God. Keep doing what is good, and evil will not come upon you.

⁸ Prayer with sincerity, practising mercy, and righteousness is better than wealth with injustice. It is a more honourable thing to do a work of mercy than to store up gold.

⁹ Practising mercy delivers from death, and it purges away every sin. Those who do deeds of mercy will have full satisfaction from life;

¹⁰ but those who practise sin and injustice are enemies of their own souls.

Raphael Discloses His Identity

¹¹ “I will tell you the whole truth and not conceal anything from you. I informed you already and said, ‘It is an honourable thing to keep a king’s secret hidden and gloriously to reveal the works of God.’

¹² So now, when you prayed, and Sarah too, I brought the remembrance of your prayers before the glory of the Lord, and likewise when you buried the dead.

¹³ When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your meal and go and care for the dead,

¹⁴ then I was sent to you, to test you, and at the same time God sent me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.

¹⁵ I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand and enter before the glory of the Lord.”

¹⁶ The two of them were troubled; they fell on their faces and they were greatly alarmed.

¹⁷ And he said to them, “Do not be afraid; peace to you both. Bless God through all the ages.

¹⁸ When I was with you, it was not by my favour that I was with you, but by God’s will. Bless him all your days; sing hymns to him.

¹⁹ And you were looking at me, but I was not eating anything, but it appeared this way to you in a vision.

²⁰ And now bless God and acknowledge him on earth. Behold! I am ascending to him who sent me. Write down all these things that have happened to you.” And he ascended.

²¹ Then they stood up, and they were no longer able to see him.

²² So they began to bless and to sing praise to God and to acknowledge him concerning these great works of his, how an angel of God appeared to them.