The Wedding Night
1When they had finished supper they brought Tobias in to her. 2On his way he called Raphael’s instructions to mind. He took the ash of the incense, laid on it the fish’s heart and liver, and made the smoke. 3When the demon caught the smell it fled to the farthest parts of Egypt, and the angel bound it there. 4Once the two of them were shut in together, Tobias got up from the bed and said: “Get up, sister, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy on us.” 5And Tobias began: “Blessed are you, God of our fathers, and blessed is your holy and glorious name through all the ages. Let the heavens bless you, and everything you have made. 6You made Adam, and you gave him Eve his wife as a helper and a support; from these two came the offspring of mankind. You said: it is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a helper like himself. 7And now, Lord, it is not out of lust that I take this sister of mine, but in truth. Give the order that I be shown mercy, and that I grow old at her side.” 8And she said with him: “Amen.” 9And the two of them slept through the night. 10Raguel got up, went out and dug a grave, saying, “What if this one dies too?” 11Raguel came into his own house 12and said to Edna his wife: “Send one of the maids, and let them see whether he is alive. If he is not, we will bury him and no one will know.” 13The maid opened the door, went in, and found the two of them asleep. 14She came out and reported to them that he was alive. 15And Raguel blessed God, saying: “Blessed are you, God, with every pure and holy blessing. Let your holy ones bless you, and everything you have made; let all your angels and all your chosen ones bless you through all the ages. 16Blessed are you, for you have given me joy, and what I dreaded has not come upon me; you have dealt with us out of your great mercy. 17Blessed are you, for you have had mercy on two only children. Show them mercy, Master; bring their life to its end in health, with gladness and with mercy.” 18Then he ordered his household servants to fill in the grave. 19And he held their wedding feast for fourteen days. 20For before the days of the wedding were over, Raguel had told him on oath that he was not to leave until the wedding’s fourteen days were done, 21and that he should then take half of what Raguel owned and travel safely to his father — “and the rest when my wife and I have died.”
