Raphael’s Wages.*
The Angel Raphael
12 When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called his son Tobias and said to him,
Son, be sure to pay your traveling companion, and don't forget to give him a bonus.
2 Tobias asked him,
Father, how much do you think I should pay him? I wouldn't mind giving him half of everything we brought back with us. 3 He brought me back home safe and sound; he went to get the money for me from Gabael; he rid my wife of a demon; and he cured your blindness. How much of a bonus should I give him?
4 Tobit answered,
Give him half of what he helped you bring back. He well deserves that.
5 Tobias then called Raphael and said to him,
Here is half of what you helped me bring back. You have earned it; have a safe journey home.
6 Then Raphael called the two men aside and said to them, Praise God and tell everyone about the good things he has done for you, so that they too will honor him and sing his praises. Let everyone know what God has done. Never stop praising him.
7 It's a good idea to keep a king's secret, but what God does should be told everywhere, so that he may be praised and honored.
If you do good, no harm will come to you.
8 It is better to pray sincerely and to please God by helping the poor than to be rich and dishonest. It is better to give to the poor than to store up gold. 9 Such generosity will save you from death and will wash away all your sins. Those who give to the poor will live full lives, 10 but those who live a life of sin and wickedness are their own worst enemies.
11 I have already told you that a king's secret ought to be kept, but the things God does should be told to everyone. Now I will reveal to you the full truth and keep nothing back. 12 Tobit, when you and Sarah prayed to the Lord, I was the one who brought your prayers into his glorious presence. I did the same thing each time you buried the dead. 13 On the day you got up from the table without eating your meal in order to bury that corpse, God sent me to test you. 14 But he also sent me to cure you and to rescue your daughter-in-law, Sarah, from her troubles. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him.
16 Tobit and Tobias were terrified and fell to the ground, trembling with fear. 17 But Raphael said to them,
Don't be afraid; everything is all right. Always remember to praise God. 18 He wanted me to come and help you; I did not come on my own. So sing God's praises as long as you live. 19 When you thought you saw me eating, I did not really eat anything; it only seemed so. 20 While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks. Now I must go back to him who sent me. Write down everything that has happened to you.
21 Then Raphael disappeared into the sky. Tobit and Tobias stood up, but they could no longer see him. 22 They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.
(Footnotes)
* [12:1–5] Tobit and his son generously agree to give Raphael far more than the wages agreed upon in 5:15–16.
* [12:6–10] In the fashion of a wisdom teacher, Raphael gives the two men a short exhortation similar to the one Tobit gave his son in 4:3–19.
* [12:6–7] The faithful considered the praise of God their most esteemed privilege. Without it, life was meaningless; cf. Is 38:16–20.
* [12:12] Raphael is one of the seven Angels of the Presence, specially designated intercessors who present prayers to God. Angelology was developing in this period. The names of two other of these seven angels are given in the Bible: Gabriel (Dn 8:16; 9:21; Lk 1:19, 26) and Michael (Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7). See 1 Enoch for the names of the rest.
a. [12:2] Tb 5:3, 7, 15–16.
b. [12:8] Tb 4:7–11; Sir 29:8–13.
c. [12:9] Dn 4:24.
d. [12:12] Jb 33:23–24; Acts 10:4; Rev 8:3–4.
e. [12:15] Lk 1:19; Rev 8:2.
f. [12:20] Jgs 13:20.
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Ne'eman
Amen