[1]Then aunswered Tobias his father, and said: Father, all that thou hast commaunded me wyl I doe, and that diligently.
[2]Then his father aunswered him, and saide, I haue his hand writing by me: which when thou shewest him, immediatly he shall pay thee. But how I shall require this money I can not tell, neither doth he knowe me, nor I him: What token shall I geue him? And as for the way thyther, I neuer knew it.
[3]But go thy way nowe and get thee some faithful man to go with thee for an hyre, that thou mayst receaue the money while I am yet liuing.
[4]Then went Tobias out, and vpon the streate he founde a fayre young man standing, girded vp, and as it were one redie to take his iourney.
[5]And he knewe not that it was an angell of God, but saluted him, and sayde: From whence art thou, thou good young man?
[6]He aunswered: Of the children of Israel. And Tobias said vnto him: Knowest thou the way that leadeth vnto the countrey of the Medes?
[7]He aunswered: I knowe it well, & all those streates haue I gone oft times, and haue lodged with our brother Gabelus that dwelleth in Rages a citie of the Medes, which lyeth vpon the mout Ecbatanis.
[8]Tobias saide vnto him: I pray thee tary for me, till I haue tolde my father these thinges.
[9]Then went Tobias in, and tolde his father all: At the which his father marueyled, and prayed that he woulde come in vnto him.
[10]Now when he came in, he saluted him, and saide: Ioy be with thee for euermore.
[11]And olde Tobias saide: what ioy can I haue that sit here in darkenesse, and see not the light of heauen?
[12]The young man saide vnto him: Be of good cheare, God shall helpe thee shortly.
[13]And Tobias saide vnto him: Canst thou bring my sonne to Gabelus, vnto the citie of Rages in Medea: and when thou commest againe, I shall pay thee thy hyre?
[14]And the angell saide vnto him: I shall leade thy sonne, and bring him to thee againe.
[15]Then Tobias aunswered him: Tell me I pray thee, of what house or of what tribe art thou?
[16]The angel Raphael saide vnto him: Seekest thou after the kinred of an hireling, or an hired man him selfe for thy sonne to go with him?
[17]But that I make thee not carefull, I am Azarias the sonne of great Hananias.
[18]And Tobias aunswered, Thou art come of a great kinred: but I pray thee be not displeased that I desire to know thy kinred.
[19]The angell said vnto him: Thy sonne shall I leade foorth safely, and bryng him whole sounde to thee againe.
[20]Then aunswered Tobias, and saide: well, go on your way, and God be in your iourney, and his angell beare you company.
[21]So when they had prepared all thinges that they woulde take with them in their iourney, Tobias bade his father and his mother farewell: and they went on their way both together.
[22]Nowe when they were gone, his mother began to weepe, & saide: The staffe of our age hast thou taken away, and sent him from vs.
[23]Woulde God that money had neuer ben, for the which thou hast sent him away.
[24]For our pouertie was sufficient for vs, why we shoulde haue counted it rychesse, that we saw our sonne here.
[25]Then saide Tobias vnto her: Weepe not, our sonne shall go safely and come to vs againe sounde, and thyne eyes shall see him.
[27]For I trust that the good angell of God shall beare him company, and order well all the thinges that he doth, so that he shall come to vs againe with ioy.
[28]At these wordes his mother left of from weeping, and held her peace.
|