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The Money Recovered

9Then Tobias called Raphael and said to him, ²‘Brother Azariah, take four servants and two camels with you and travel to Rages. Go to the home of Gabael, give him the bond, get the money, and then bring him with you to the wedding celebration. ⁴For you know that my father must be counting the days, and if I delay even one day I will upset him very much. 3You are witness to the oath Raguel has sworn, and I cannot violate his oath.’^{* 5}So Raphael with the four servants and two camels went to Rages in Media and stayed with Gabael. Raphael^* gave him the bond and informed him that Tobit’s son Tobias had married and was inviting him to the wedding celebration. So Gabael^* got up and counted out to him the money bags, with their seals intact; then they loaded them on the camels.^{* 6}In the morning they both got up early and went to the wedding celebration. When they came into Raguel’s house they found Tobias reclining at table. He sprang up and greeted Gabael,^* who wept and blessed him with the words, ‘Good and noble son of a father good and noble, upright and generous! May the Lord grant the blessing of heaven to you and your wife, and to your wife’s father and mother. Blessed be God, for I see in Tobias the very image of my cousin Tobit.’

Anxiety of the Parents

10Now, day by day, Tobit kept counting how many days Tobias^* would need for going and for returning. And when the days had passed and his son did not appear, ²he said, ‘Is it possible that he has been detained? Or that Gabael has died, and there is no one to give him the money?’ ³And he began to worry. ⁴His wife Anna said, ‘My child has perished and is no longer among the living.’ And she began to weep and mourn for her son, saying, ⁵‘Woe is me, my child, the light of my eyes, that I let you make the journey.’ ⁶But Tobit kept saying to her, ‘Be quiet and stop worrying, my dear;^* he is all right. Probably something unexpected has happened there. The man who went with him is trustworthy and is one of our own kin. Do not grieve for him, my dear;^* he will soon be here.’ ⁷She answered him, ‘Be quiet yourself! Stop trying to deceive me! My child has perished.’ She would rush out every day and watch the road her son had taken, and would heed no one.^* When the sun had set she would go in and mourn and weep all night long, getting no sleep at all.

Tobias and Sarah Start for Home

Now when the fourteen days of the wedding celebration had ended that Raguel had sworn to observe for his daughter, Tobias came to him and said, ‘Send me back, for I know that my father and mother do not believe that they will see me again. So I beg of you, father, to let me go so that I may return to my own father. I have already explained to you how I left him.’ ⁸But Raguel said to Tobias, ‘Stay, my child, stay with me; I will send messengers to your father Tobit and they will inform him about you.’ ⁹But he said, ‘No! I beg you to send me back to my father.’ ¹⁰So Raguel promptly gave Tobias his wife Sarah, as well as half of all his property: male and female slaves, oxen and sheep, donkeys and camels, clothing, money, and household goods. ¹¹Then he saw them safely off; he embraced Tobias^* and said, ‘Farewell, my child; have a safe journey. The Lord of heaven prosper you and your wife Sarah, and may I see children of yours before I die.’ ¹²Then he kissed his daughter Sarah and said to her, ‘My daughter, honour your father-in-law and your mother-in-law,^* since from now on they are as much your parents as those who gave you birth. Go in peace, daughter, and may I hear a good report about you as long as I live.’ Then he bade them farewell and let them go. Then Edna said to Tobias, ‘My child and dear brother, the Lord of heaven bring you back safely, and may I live long enough to see children of you and of my daughter Sarah before I die. In the sight of the Lord I entrust my daughter to you; do nothing to grieve her all the days of your life. Go in peace, my child. From now on I am your mother and Sarah is your beloved wife.^* May we all prosper together all the days of our lives.’ Then she kissed them both and saw them safely off. ¹³Tobias parted from Raguel with happiness and joy, praising the Lord of heaven and earth, King over all, because he had made his journey a success. Finally, he blessed Raguel and his wife Edna, and said, ‘I have been commanded by the Lord to honour you all the days of my life.’^*