OET-RV TOB Chapter 3

3 I was grieved and wept, and prayed in sorrow, saying,

2 “O master, you’re righteous, and all your works and all your ways are mercy and truth, and you judge true and righteous judgement forever. 3 Remember me, and look at me. Don’t take vengeance on me for my sins and my ignorances, and the sins of my fathers who sinned before you. 4 Because they disobeyed your commandments. You gave us as plunder, for captivity, for death, and for a proverb of reproach to all the nations among whom we’re dispersed. 5 Now your judgements are many and true, that you should deal with me according to my sins and the sins of my fathers, because we didn’t keep your commandments, for we didn’t walk in truth before you. 6 Now deal with me according to that which is pleasing in your sight. Command my spirit to be taken from me, that I may be released, and become earth. Because it’s more profitable for me to die rather than to live, because I’ve heard false reproaches, and there’s much sorrow in me. Command that I be released from my distress, now, and go to the eternal place. Don’t turn your face away from me.”

7 The same day it happened to Sarah the daughter of Re’uel in Ahmeta of Maday (Media), that she also was reproached by her father’s female servants; 8 because that she’d been given to seven husbands, and Ashmedai the evil spirit[fn] killed them, before they’d lain with her. And they said to her, “Don’t you know that you strangle your husbands? You’ve already had seven husbands, and you haven’t borne the name of any one of them. 9 Why do you scourge us? If they’re dead, go your ways with them. Let us never see either son or daughter from you.” 10 When she heard those things, she was deeply distressed, so that she thought about hanging herself. Then she said, “I’m my father’s only daughter. If I do this, it’ll be a reproach to him, and I’ll bring down his old age with sorrow to the grave.”[fn] 11 Then she prayed by the window, and said, “Blessed are you, Oh master my god, and blessed is your holy and honourable name forever! Let all your works praise you forever! 12 And now, master, I’ve set my eyes and my face towards you. 13 Command that I be released from the earth, and that I no longer hear reproach. 14 You know, master, that I’m pure from all sin with man, 15 and that I never polluted my name or my father’s name in the land of my captivity. I’m the only daughter of my father, and he has no child that’ll be his heir, nor brother near him, nor son belonging to him, that I should keep myself for a wife to him. Seven husbands of mine are dead already. Why should I live? If it doesn’t please you to kill me, command some regard to be had of me, and pity taken of me, and that I hear no more reproach.”

16 The prayer of both was heard before the glory of the great God. 17 Refael (Raphael) also was sent to heal them both, to scale away the white films from Tovi’s eyes, and to give Sarah the daughter of Re’uel for a wife to Toviyah (Tobias) the son of Tovi; and to bind the evil spirit[fn] Ashmedai; because it belonged to Toviyah that he should inherit her. At that very time, Tovi returned and entered into his house, and Sarah the daughter of Re’uel came down from her upstairs room.