Tobit · Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
Tobit 12 Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Then Tobias called to him his son, and said to him: What can we give to this holy man, that is come with thee?
1 And Tobit called his son Tobias, and said to him, “See, my child, that the man which went with you have his wages, and you must give him more.”
2 Tobias answering, said to his father: Father, what wages shall we give him? or what can be worthy of his benefits?
2 And he said to him, “Father, it is no harm to me to give him the half of those things which I have brought;
3 He 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?
3 for he has led me for you in safety, and he cured my wife, and brought my money, and likewise cured you.”
4 But I beseech thee, my father, to desire him, that he would vouchsafe to accept one half of all things that have been brought.
4 The old man said, “It is due to him.”
5 So 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.
5 And he called the angel, and said to him, “Take half of all that you have brought.”
6 Then 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.
6 Then he called them both privately, and said to them, “Bless God, and give him thanks, and magnify him, and give him thanks in the sight of all that live, for the things which he has done with you. It is good to bless God and exalt his name, showing forth with honor the works of God. Don’t be slack to give him thanks.
7 For it is good to hide the secret of a king: but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.
7 It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to reveal gloriously the works of God. Do good, and evil won’t find you.
8 Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:
8 Good is prayer with fasting, alms, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold.
9 For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.
9 Alms delivers from death, and it purges away all sin. Those who give alms and do righteousness will be filled with life;
10 But they that commit sin and iniquity, are enemies to their own soul.
10 but those who sin are enemies to their own life.
11 I discover then the truth unto you, and I will not hide the secret from you.
11 Surely I will conceal nothing from you. I have said, ‘It is good to conceal the secret of a king, but to reveal gloriously the works of God.’
12 When 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.
12 And now, when you prayed, and Sarah your daughter-in-law, I brought the memorial of your prayer before the Holy One. When you buried the dead, I was with you likewise.
13 And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.
13 And when you didn’t delay to rise up, and leave your dinner, that you might go and cover the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me. I was with you.
14 And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son’s wife from the devil.
14 And now God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law.
15 For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.
15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels which present the prayers of the saints and go in before the glory of the Holy One.”
16 And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face.
16 And they were both troubled, and fell upon their faces; for they were afraid.
17 And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not.
17 And he said to them, “Don’t be afraid. You will all have peace; but bless God forever.
18 For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him.
18 For I came not of any favor of my own, but by the will of your God. Therefore bless him forever.
19 I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men.
19 All these days I appeared to you. I didn’t eat or drink, but you all saw a vision.
20 It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.
20 Now give God thanks, because I ascend to him who sent me. Write in a book all the things which have been done.”
21 And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more.
21 Then they rose up, and saw him no more.
22 Then they lying prostrate for three hours upon their face, blessed God: and rising up, they told all his wonderful works.
22 They confessed the great and wonderful works of God, and how the angel of the Lord had appeared to them.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When you can do good, defer it not, because "alms delivers from death." Be all of you subject one to another "having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles," that ye may both receive praise for your good works, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you.