Tobías 12

1Entonces Tobías llamó aparte a su hijo, y le dijo: “¿Qué podemos dar a este santo varón que ha ido contigo?”

2Respondiendo Tobías, dijo a su padre: “Oh padre, ¿qué salario le daremos? ¿O qué cosa podría considerarse como equivalente de sus beneficios?

3Pues él me ha llevado y traído sano, cobró el dinero de Gabelo, me proporcionó esposa y ahuyentó de ella al demonio, causando alegría a sus padres; él me libró del pez que me iba a tragar, a ti te ha hecho ver la luz del cielo, y hemos sido colmados por medio de él de todos los bienes. ¿Qué podremos darle que corresponda a tantos favores?

4Mas yo te pido, padre mío, que le preguntes si por ventura se dignará tomar para sí la mitad de todo lo que hemos traído.”

5Llamándolo aparte el padre y el hijo empezaron a rogarle que se dignase aceptar la mitad de todo lo que habían traído.

6Entonces el ángel, estando solo con ellos, les dijo: “Bendecid al Dios del cielo, y glorificadle delante de todos los vivientes, pues ha mostrado en vosotros su misericordia.

7Porque así como es bueno guardar el secreto del rey, así es cosa honorífica revelar y pregonar las obras de Dios.

8Buena es la oración con el ayuno, y mejor la limosna que acumular tesoros de oro;

9porque la limosna libra de la muerte, y es ella que borra pecados y hace hallar misericordia y vida eterna.

10Mas los que cometen pecado e iniquidad, son enemigos de su propia alma.

11Por eso voy a manifestaros la verdad, sin encubriros lo que ha estado oculto.

12Cuando tú orabas con lágrimas y enterrabas a los muertos y dejabas tu comida y escondías de día los muertos en tu casa y los sepultabas de noche, yo presentaba tu oración al Señor.

13Y por lo mismo que eras acepto a Dios, fue necesario que la tentación te probase.

14Ahora el Señor me envió a sanarte a ti, y a librar del demonio a Sara, mujer de tu hijo.

15Porque yo soy el ángel Rafael, uno de los siete que asistimos delante del Señor.”

16Cuando oyeron estas palabras, quedaron turbados y temblando cayeron en tierra sobre su rostro.

17Pero el ángel les dijo: “La paz sea con vosotros, no temáis.

18Pues cuando estaba yo con vosotros, estaba por voluntad de Dios. Bendecid a Él y cantad sus alabanzas.

19Vosotros creíais por cierto que yo comía y bebía con vosotros; más yo me sustento de un manjar invisible y de una bebida que no puede ser vista de los hombres.

20Ya es tiempo de que me vuelva al que me ha enviado; vosotros, empero, bendecid a Dios, y pregonad todas sus maravillas.”

21Dicho esto desapareció de su vista, y no pudieron ya verlo más.

22Entonces, postrados sobre su rostro durante tres horas, bendijeron a Dios. Después se levantaron y contaron todas estas maravillas.

1Tunc vocavit ad se Tobias filium suum, dixitque ei: Quid possumus dare viro isti sancto, qui venit tecum?

2Respondens Tobias, dixit patri suo: Pater, quam mercedem dabimus ei? aut quid dignum poterit esse beneficiis ejus?

3Me duxit et reduxit sanum, pecuniam a Gabelo ipse recepit, uxorem ipse me habere fecit, et dæmonium ab ea ipse compescuit: gaudium parentibus ejus fecit, meipsum a devoratione piscis eripuit, te quoque videre fecit lumen cæli, et bonis omnibus per eum repleti sumus. Quid illi ad hæc poterimus dignum dare?

4Sed peto te, pater mi, ut roges eum, si forte dignabitur medietatem de omnibus quæ allata sunt, sibi assumere.

5Et vocantes eum, pater scilicet et filius, tulerunt eum in partem: et rogare cœperunt ut dignaretur dimidiam partem omnium quæ attulerant acceptam habere.

6Tunc dixit eis occulte: Benedicite Deum cæli, et coram omnibus viventibus confitemini ei, quia fecit vobiscum misericordiam suam.

7Etenim sacramentum regis abscondere bonum est: opera autem Dei revelare et confiteri honorificum est.

8Bona est oratio cum jejunio, et eleemosyna magis quam thesauros auri recondere:

9quoniam eleemosyna a morte liberat, et ipsa est quæ purgat peccata, et facit invenire misericordiam et viam æternam.

10Qui autem faciunt peccatum et iniquitatem, hostes sunt animæ suæ.

11Manifesto ergo vobis veritatem, et non abscondam a vobis occultum sermonem.

12Quando orabas cum lacrimis, et sepeliebas mortuos, et derelinquebas prandium tuum, et mortuos abscondebas per diem in domo tua, et nocte sepeliebas eos, ego obtuli orationem tuam Domino.

13Et quia acceptus eras Deo, necesse fuit ut tentatio probaret te.

14Et nunc misit me Dominus ut curarem te, et Saram uxorem filii tui a dæmonio liberarem.

15Ego enim sum Raphaël angelus, unus ex septem qui adstamus ante Dominum.

16Cumque hæc audissent, turbati sunt, et trementes ceciderunt super terram in faciem suam.

17Dixitque eis angelus: Pax vobis: nolite timere.

18Etenim cum essem vobiscum, per voluntatem Dei eram: ipsum benedicite, et cantate illi.

19Videbar quidem vobiscum manducare et bibere: sed ego cibo invisibili, et potu qui ab hominibus videri non potest, utor.

20Tempus est ergo ut revertar ad eum qui me misit: vos autem benedicite Deum, et narrate omnia mirabilia ejus.

21Et cum hæc dixisset, ab aspectu eorum ablatus est, et ultra eum videre non potuerunt.

22Tunc prostrati per horas tres in faciem, benedixerunt Deum: et exsurgentes narraverunt omnia mirabilia ejus.

1Then Tobias called to him his son, and said to him: What can we give to this holy man, that is come with thee?

2Tobias answering, said to his father: Father, what wages shall we give him? or what can be worthy of his benefits?

3He conducted me and brought me safe again, he received the money of Gabelus, he caused me to have my wife, and he chased from her the evil spirit, he gave joy to her parents, myself he delivered from being devoured by the fish, thee also he hath made to see the light of heaven, and we are filled with all good things through him. What can we give him sufficient for these things?

4But I beseech thee, my father, to desire him, that he would vouchsafe to accept one half of all things that have been brought.

5So the father and the son, calling him, took him aside: and began to desire him that he would vouchsafe to accept of half of all things that they had brought.

6Then he said to them secretly: Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to him in the sight of all that live, because he hath shewn his mercy to you.

7For it is good to hide the secret of a king: but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.

8Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:

9For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.

10But they that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.

11I discover then the truth unto you, and I will not hide the secret from you.

12When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.

13And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.

14And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son’s wife from the devil.

15For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.

16And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face.

17And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not.

18For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him.

19I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men.

20It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.

21And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more.

22Then they lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God: and rising up, they told all his wonderful works.