(12.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: His Song of Prophetic Praise

(12.) The Gospel Story of Tobit: His Song of Prophetic Praise.

“Blessed be God who lives forever, because His kingdom lasts for all ages. For He scourges and then He has mercy; He casts down to the depths and He brings up from the great abyss. No one can escape His hand.” (Tobit 13:1-2).

Preach It! One of the most famous prayers in the Greek version of the Bible is Tobit’s song that alternates between exalting the Lord and parting the curtain on the future of God’s people. In his momentous prayer Tobit goes from the style of a priest as he powerfully offers his praise that parallels many psalms and ancient hymns of that era, to the style of a prophet as he offers hints of a New Jerusalem in much the same tenor as Isaiah and St. John of the Apocalypse.

“Blessed be God who lives forever, because His kingdom lasts for all ages. For He scourges and then He has mercy; He casts down to the depths and He brings up from the great abyss. No one can escape His hand;

Give thanks to Him before the Gentiles, O children of Israel, for though He has scattered you among them, He has shown you His greatness even there. Exalt Him before every living being, because He is the Lord our God, our Father and God forever; 

He scourged you for your iniquities, but will again have mercy on you all. He will gather you from all the Gentiles among whom you have been scattered; 

When you return to Him with all your heart and with all your soul, to do the truth before Him, then He will return to you, and no longer hide His presence from you; 

So now consider what He has done for you and praise Him with full voice. Bless the Lord of righteousness and exalt the King of the ages;

In the land of my captivity I give thanks to Him and make known His power and majesty to a sinful nation. ‘Turn back, you sinners! Do righteousness before Him, and perhaps He may look with favor upon you and show you mercy;’

As for me, I exalt my God, and my spirit rejoices in the King of heaven. Let all people speak of His majesty, and sing His praises in Jerusalem; 

O Jerusalem, holy city, He scourged you for the work of your hands, but will again pity the children of the righteous. Praise the Lord for His goodness, and bless the King of the ages, so that His holy tent may be restored in you with joy; 

May He gladden within you all who were captives; all who were ravaged and distressed, may He cherish within you for all generations to come; 

A bright light will shine to all parts of the earth; many nations shall come to you from afar; and the inhabitants of all the limits of the earth drawn to you by the name of the Lord God, bearing in their hands their gifts for the King of heaven. Every generation shall offer joyful worship, and shall call you the chosen one, through all ages forever;

Accursed are all who speak a harsh word against you; accursed are all who destroy you and pull down our walls; and all who overthrow your towers and set fire to our homes. But forever blessed are all those who build you up; 

Go then, rejoice over the children of the righteous, who shall be gathered together and shall bless the Lord of the ages. Happy are those who love you, and happy are those who rejoice in your peace and prosperity; 

Happy are all the people who shall grieve over you, over all your punishments. For they shall rejoice in you as they behold all your joy forever;

My spirit blesses the Lord, the great King; Jerusalem shall be rebuilt as His home forever. What bliss for me if a remnant of my offspring survive to see your glory and to praise the King of heaven! 

The gates of Jerusalem shall be built with sapphire and emerald, and all your walls with precious stones. The towers of Jerusalem shall be built with gold, and their battlements with pure gold. The streets of Jerusalem shall be paved with rubies and stones of Ophir; the gates of Jerusalem shall sing hymns of gladness, and all her houses shall cry out, ‘ALLELUIA!’

Blessed be God who has raised you up! May He be blessed for all ages! For in you shall they praise His holy name forever.”  (Tobit 13:1-18).