Hebrew Tales

Tobias & the Angel

Chapter 13

Tobit eloquently praises God.

Blond, European-Looking Rafael before a church dedicated to him in Costa Rica, 2016.
(Photo by Wm Dawley)

[1] Then Tobit wrote a prayer of rejoicing and said,

“Blessed be God who lives for ever and blessed be his kingdom. [2] For he scourges and has mercy; he leads down to hell and brings up again; neither is there any who can avoid his hand.

[3] “Confess him before the Gentiles, you children of Israel, for he has scattered us among them. [4] There declare his greatness and extol him before all the living, for he is our Lord and he is the God our Father for ever. [5] And he will scourge us for our iniquities, and will have mercy again, and will gather us out of all the nations among whom he has scattered us.

[6] “If you turn to him with your whole heart and with your whole mind and deal uprightly before him, then he will turn to you and will not hide his face from you. Therefore see what he will do with you, and confess him with your whole mouth, and praise the Lord of might, and extol the everlasting King. In the land of my captivity, I praise him and declare his might and majesty to a sinful nation. O you sinners, turn and do justice before him; who can tell if he will accept you and have mercy on you?

[7] ”I will extol my God and my soul shall praise the King of heaven and shall rejoice in his greatness. [8] Let all men speak and let all praise him for his righteousness.

[9] “O Jerusalem, the holy city, he will scourge you for your children’s works and will have mercy again on the sons of the righteous.

Dark-Skinned, Indigenous-looking Rafael by Unknown Chumash artist (about 1820)
(Mission Santa Inés, Solvang, California)

[10] “Give praise to the Lord, for he is good, and praise the everlasting King, so that his tabernacle may be built in you again with joy; and there let him make joyful in you those who are captives, and love in you for ever those who are miserable.

[11] “Many nations shall come from far to the name of the Lord God with gifts in their hands, with gifts to the King of heaven; all generations shall praise you with great joy.

[12] “Cursed are all those who hate you and blessed shall be all those who love you for ever. [13] Rejoice and be glad for the children of the just, for they shall be gathered together and shall bless the Lord of the just.

[14] “O blessed are those who love you, for they shall rejoice in your peace. Blessed are those who have been sorrowful for all your scourges, for they shall rejoice for you, when they have seen all your glory, and shall be glad for ever.

[15] “Let my soul bless God the great King. [16] For Jerusalem shall be built up with sapphires and emeralds and precious stone, your walls and towers and battlements with pure gold. [17] And the streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with beryl and carbuncle and stones of Ophir. [18] And all her streets shall say, ‘Alleluia,’ and they shall praise him, saying, ‘Blessed be God, who has extolled it forever.’”

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