The Demon Is Expelled
1When they had finished the meal, and it was time to go to bed, Sarah's parents led young Tobias to the bedroom. 2He 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. 3The smell drove the demon away from them, and he fled to Egypt. Raphael chased after him and caught him there. At once he bound him hand and foot.
The Prayer of Tobias
4When 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 protect us.” 5Sarah 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 honoured for ever and ever
by all your creatures in heaven and on earth.
6You 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.’
7Lord, 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.”
8Then they both said “Amen” 9and went to bed for the night.
Anxious Parents
Later that night, Raguel called his servants, and together they went out to dig a grave, 10because Raguel thought, “Tobias will probably die too, and people will laugh and make fun of us.” 11When they had finished digging the grave, Raguel went back into the house and said to his wife, 12“Send one of the servant women to find out if Tobias is still alive. If he isn't, then we will bury him before anyone finds out.” 13They then sent a servant woman to take a lamp and see if he was still alive. As she opened the door, she could see that both of them were sound asleep. 14So she went back and told Raguel and Edna that Tobias was alive and unharmed. 15Then Raguel praised the God of heaven:
Raguel's Prayer
“You are worthy of our praise, O God.
May your people praise you for ever,
may they praise you with pure hearts.
16I praise you because you have made me glad;
you have been merciful to us,
and my worst fears did not come true.
17You deserve our praise, O Lord;
you were merciful to this young couple,
the only children of their parents.
Now, grant them your mercy and protection.
Let them live out their lives in happiness and love.”
18Then Raguel ordered his servants to fill in the grave before dawn.
The Wedding Feast
19Raguel told his wife to bake enough bread for a big feast. Then he went out to the herd and brought back two oxen and four rams, which he ordered his servants to slaughter in preparation for the wedding feast. 20He called for Tobias and vowed that he would not let him leave for two weeks. “Stay, and we will eat and drink together,” he said. “It will do my daughter good after her terrible suffering. 21Then you may take half of what I own and go back to your father safe and sound. You will inherit the other half when Edna and I die. Have no doubts about our love for you; from now on you are as much our son as Sarah is our daughter. You can be sure of that, my son.”
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