Daily Gospel Reading for June 8, 2023 – Thursday in the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time Bible Verse

The first reading from the Book of Tobit.

But when they drew near to Rages, the angel said to the young man, “Brother, today we will lodge with Raguel. He is your kinsman. He has an only daughter named Sarah. I will speak about her, that she should be given to you for a wife.”

They came to Ecbatana, and arrived at the house of Raguel. But Sarah met them; and she greeted them, and they her. Then she brought them into the house.

They received them gladly; and they killed a ram of the flock, and served them meat. But Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azarias, speak of those things of which you talked about in the way, and let the matter be finished.”

So he communicated the thing to Raguel. Raguel said to Tobias, “Eat, drink, and make merry: for it belongs to you to take my child. However I will tell you the truth.

I have given my child to seven men of our relatives, and whenever they came in to her, they died in the night. But for the present be merry.” And Tobias said, “I will taste nothing here, until you all make a covenant and enter into that covenant with me.”

Raguel said, “Take her to yourself from now on according to custom. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will give all good success to you.”

And he called his daughter Sarah, and took her by the hand, and gave her to be wife of Tobias, and said, “Behold, take her to yourself after the law of Moses, and lead her away to your father.” And he blessed them.

He called Edna his wife, then took a book, wrote a contract, and sealed it.

Then they began to eat.

And Raguel called his wife Edna, and said to her, “Sister, prepare the other chamber, and bring her in there.”

She did as he asked her, and brought her in there. She wept, and she received the tears of her daughter, and said to her, “Be comforted, my child. May the Lord of heaven and earth give you favor for this your sorrow. Be comforted, my daughter.”

But after they were both shut in together, Tobias rose up from the bed, and said, “Sister, arise, and let’s pray that the Lord may have mercy on us.”

And Tobias began to say, “Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, and blessed is your holy and glorious name forever. Let the heavens bless you, and all your creatures.

You made Adam, and gave him Eve his wife for a helper and support. From them came the seed of men. You said, it is not good that the man should be alone. Let’s make him a helper like him.

And now, O Lord, I take not this my sister for lust, but in truth. Command that I may find mercy and grow old with her.”

She said with him, “Amen.” And they both slept that night.