People’s Open Bible

Tobit 6

Tobias Catches Healing Fish

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1And she stopped weeping.

2As they were traveling on the road, they came by evening to the Tigris River, and they camped there.

3Then the young man went down to wash himself, and a fish leaped up from the river and tried to swallow the young man.

4But the angel said to him, “Grab the fish.” So the boy seized the fish and threw it up onto the land.

5And the angel said to him, “Cut open the fish, and after taking the heart and the liver and the gall, put them away safely.”

6And the young man did as the angel told him. Then they roasted the fish and ate it, and both of them traveled on until they came near Ecbatana.

7And the young man said to the angel, “Azariah, brother, what are the liver and the heart and the gall of the fish for?”

8And he said to him, “The heart and the liver—if a demon or an evil spirit troubles anyone, burn these as smoke before a man or a woman, and he or she will no longer be troubled.”

9And apply the gall to a man who has white films in his eyes, and he will be healed.

10And when they came near to Rages,

11The angel said to the young man, “Brother, today we will lodge with Raguel. He is your relative, and he has a daughter named Sarah.”

12I will speak about her, so that she may be given to you as a wife, because her inheritance falls to you, and you alone are from her family; and the young woman is beautiful and sensible.

13And now listen to me, and I will speak to her father; and when we return from Rages, we will arrange the marriage. For I know that Raguel will certainly not give her to another man contrary to the law of Moses, or he will incur death, because it is fitting for you to receive the inheritance rather than any other man.

14Then the young man said to the angel, “Azariah, brother, I have heard that the girl has been given to seven men, and that all of them were hindered in the bridal chamber.”

15And now I am my father's only one, and I am afraid that if I go in, I will die, just as the former ones did, because a demon loves her, and it harms no one except those who approach her. And now I am afraid that I may die and bring down the life of my father and my mother in grief because of me to their grave; and they have no other son who will bury them.

16But the angel said to him, “Do you not remember the words that your father commanded you about taking a wife from your own kin? And now listen to me, brother, because she will be your wife, and pay no attention to the demon, for tonight she will be given to you as a wife.”

17And when you enter into the bridal chamber, take some of the incense ashes and place on them some of the fish’s heart and liver, and make smoke with them,

18Then the demon will smell it and flee, and it will never return forever. But when you go in to her, rise, both of you, and cry out to the merciful God, and he will save you and have mercy on you. Do not fear, because she had been prepared for you from eternity, and you will save her, and she will go with you, and I suppose that you will have children by her. And when Tobias heard these things, he kissed her, and his soul was bound to her very strongly.

Composed from original Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Ge’ez manuscripts, rendered in multiple passes to stay as close to the originals as possible. About this project