القراءة بلغتين

وٱغتَمَّت نَفْسي فنُحتُ وبَكَيتُ وبَدَأتُ أُصَلِّي بِأَنين

«عادِلٌ أَنتَ، يا ربّ وأَعْمالُك كُلُّها عادِلَة وطُرُقُكَ كُلُّها رَحمَةٌ وحَقّ. أَنتَ تَدينُ العالَم

فٱذكُرْني الآنَ، يا ربُّ وٱنظُرْ إِلَيَّ ولا تُعاقِبْني على خَطاياي ولا على جَهالاتي وجَهالاتِ آبائي. لِأَنَّنا خَطِئْنا إِلَيكَ

ولَم نُطِعْ وَصاياكَ. فأَسلَمتَنا إِلى النَّهْبِ والجَلاءِ والمَوت إِلى الأُحْدوثَةِ والأُضْحوكَةِ والشَّتيمة في جَميعِ الأُمَمِ الَّتي شَتَّتَّنا بَينَها

والآنَ فجَميعُ أَحْكامِكَ صادِقة إِذا عامَلتَني بِحَسَبِ خَطايايَ وخَطايا آبائي لِأَنَّنا لم نَعْمَلْ بِوَصاياك ولَم نَسلُكْ بِحَقٍّ أَمامَكَ

والآنَ فبِحَسَبِ ما يُرْضيكَ عامِلْني ومُرْ أَن تُستَرَدَّ روحي مِنِّي لِكَي أَزولَ مِن وَجهِ الأَرض فأُصبِحَ تُرابًا. فالمَوتُ لي خَيرٌ مِنَ الحَياة لِأَنِّي سَمِعتُ شَتائِمَ كاذِبَة وبي غَمٌّ شديد. يا رَبّ، مُرْ أَن أَنجُوَ مِن هٰذه الشِّدَّة. دَعْني أَمْضي إِلى المُقامِ الأَبديّ ولا تُعرِضْ، يا ربّ، بِوَجْهِكَ عَنِّي فالمَوتُ لي خَيرٌ مِن مُشاهَدةِ ضيقٍ شَديدٍ في حَياتي ومِن سَماعي الشَّتائم

وٱتَّفَقَ في ذٰلك اليَومِ عَينِه أَنَّ سارةَ، ٱبنَةَ رَعوئيلَ السَّاكِنِ في أَحْمَتا، مَدينةِ الميدِيِّين، سَمِعَت هي أيضًا شَتائمَ مِن إِحْدى جَواري أَبيها

لِأَنَّه كانَ قد عُقِدَ لَها على سَبعَةِ رِجال، وكان أَزْموداوُس، الشَّيطانُ الخَبيث، يَقتُلُهم قَبلَ أَن يَدخُلوا علَيها بِحَسَبِ واجِباتِهِمِ الزَّوجِيَّة. فقالَت لَها الجارِية: «أَنتِ تَقتُلينَ أَزْواجَكِ! ها إِنَّه عُقِدَ لَكِ على سَبْعَةِ رِجال، ولم تُدعَي بِٱسمِ أَحَدِهم ولا مَرَّةً واحِدة!

لماذا تُعَذِّبينَنا في شأنِ أَزْواجِكِ لِأَنَّهم ماتوا؟ إِلْحَقي بِهِم! لا رَأَينا لَكِ ٱبنًا ولا ٱبنَةً لِلأَبَد!»

في ذٰلك اليَومِ ٱغتَمَّت نَفسُها وبَكَت وصَعِدَت إِلى عُلِّيَّةِ أَبيها وأَرادَت أَن تَشنُقَ نَفْسَها. ثُمَّ عادت إِلى التَّفكيرِ فقالت: «لرُبَّما شَتَموا أَبي فقالوا لَه: رُزِقتَ ٱبنَةً مَحْبوبةً واحِدَةً فشَنَقَت نَفْسَها بِسَبَبِ مَصائِبِها. لا أُريدُ أَن أُنزِلَ شَيخوخَةَ أَبي في الغَمِّ إِلى مِثْوى الأَمْوات. فخَيرٌ لي أَلَّا أَشنُقَ نَفْسي، بل أَسأَلُ الرَّبَّ أَن أَموتَ ولا أَسمَعَ الشَّتائِمَ بَعدَ اليَومِ في حَياتي»

حينَئِذٍ مَدَّت يَدَيها نَحوَ النَّافِذَة وصَلَّت فقالَت: «مُبارَكٌ أَنتَ، يا إِلٰهَ الرَّحْمة ومُبارَكٌ ٱسْمُكَ أَبَدَ الدُّهور ولْتُبارِكْكَ أَعْمالُكَ لِلأَبَد

إِلَيكَ أَرفَعُ الآنَ وَجْهي وعَينَيَّ

مُرْ أَن أَنْجُوَ مِنَ الأَرض ولا أَسْمَعَ الشَّتائِمَ بَعدَ اليَوم

إِنَّكَ، يا رَبُّ، عالِمٌ بِأَنِّي ما زِلْتُ مُنَزَّهةً عن كُلِّ دَنَسٍ مع رَجُل

لم أُدَنِّسِ ٱسْمي ولا ٱسْمَ أَبي في أَرضِ جَلائي. إِنِّي وَحيدةٌ لِأَبي ولم يُرزَقْ وَلَدًا آخَرَ يَرِثُه ولَيسَ لَه أَخٌ ولا قَريبٌ أَحفَظُ نَفْسي لِأَكونَ زَوجةً له. ها إِنِّي فَقَدتُ سَبعَةَ أَزْواج فلِماذا أَحْيا بَعدَ اليَوم؟ وإِن لم تَشَأْ أَن تَقتُلَني، يا رَبّ فٱسمَعْ ما يُوجَّهُ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الشَّتائِمَ»

في ذٰلكَ الحينِ ٱستُجيبَت صَلَواتُ الِٱثْنَينِ أَمامَ مَجدِ الله

فأُرسِلَ رافائيلُ لِيَشْفِيَ كِلا الِٱثْنَين، لِيُزيلَ البُقَعَ البَيضاءَ عن عَينَي طوبيت فيَرى بِعَينَيه نورَ الله، ولِيُعطِيَ سارةَ ٱبنَةَ رَعوئيلَ زَوجةً لِطوبِيَّا بنِ طوبيت ويَطرُدَ عَنها أَزْموداوُسَ الشَّيطانَ الخَبيث. فمِن حَقِّ طوبِيَّا أَن تَكونَ لَه قَبلَ جَميعِ الَّذينَ يُريدونَ أَن يتَّخِذوها. في ذٰلكَ الحين، عادَ طوبيتُ من ساحةِ دارِه إِلى بَيتِه، وأَمَّا سارةُ ٱبنَةُ رَعوئيل فنَزَلَت مِنَ العُلِّيَّة

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

“O Lord, you are righteous, and all your works and all your ways are mercy and truth, and you judge true and righteous judgment forever.

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.

For 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 are dispersed.

Now your judgments 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.

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. For it is more profitable for me to die rather than to live, because I have heard false reproaches, and there is much sorrow in me. Command that I be released from my distress, now, and go to the everlasting place. Don’t turn your face away from me.”

The same day it happened to Sarah the daughter of Raguel in Ecbatana of Media, that she also was reproached by her father’s maidservants;

because that she had been given to seven husbands, and Asmodaeus the evil spirit killed them, before they had lain with her. And they said to her, “Do you not know that you strangle your husbands? You have had already seven husbands, and you haven’t borne the name of any one of them.

Why do you scourge us? If they are dead, go your ways with them. Let us never see either son or daughter from you.”

When she heard these things, she was grieved exceedingly, so that she thought about hanging herself. Then she said, “I am the only daughter of my father. If I do this, it will be a reproach to him, and I will bring down his old age with sorrow to the grave.”

Then she prayed by the window, and said, “Blessed are you, O Lord my God, and blessed is your holy and honorable name forever! Let all your works praise you forever!

And now, Lord, I have set my eyes and my face toward you.

Command that I be released from the earth, and that I no longer hear reproach.

You know, Lord, that I am pure from all sin with man,

and that I never polluted my name or the name of my father in the land of my captivity. I am the only daughter of my father, and he has no child that will 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.”

The prayer of both was heard before the glory of the great God.

Raphael also was sent to heal them both, to scale away the white films from Tobit’s eyes, and to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel for a wife to Tobias the son of Tobit; and to bind Asmodaeus the evil spirit; because it belonged to Tobias that he should inherit her. At that very time, Tobit returned and entered into his house, and Sarah the daughter of Raguel came down from her upper chamber.