HAUPT— TOBIT'S BLINDNESS AND SARA'S HYSTERIA. 83 



came. As soon as the bridegroom saw him, he got up from his 

 place and did for him all the old man had told him. After the 

 wedding-feast the poor man called the bridegroom, took him to a 

 chamber, and said to him, My son, I am a messenger of God ; I have 

 come here to take thy life. The bridegroom said, Aly lord, give 

 me time, a year or half a year. The old man said, I can not do that. 

 Then the bridegroom said. Give me a month or the week of the 

 wedding. The old man said, I can not give you even one day. The 

 bridegroom said, I pray thee, wait for me until I take leave of my 

 wife. The old man said. This I will grant ; go, but come back soon. 



So he went and found her in her room alone. She was weeping 

 and praying to the Lord. When the bridegroom called her, she said 

 to him. My brother, why dost thou come here? He said, To take 

 leave of thee, for my time has come to go the way of all the earth ; 

 the angel has come to take my life. She said. Thou must not go; 

 I shall go and talk to him. So she went, and when she found him, 

 she said to him. Art thou the angel who hast come to take my 

 husband's life? He said to her. Yes. She said to him. He must not 

 die now ! It is written in the Law, When a man takes a wife, he 

 shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any 

 business ; he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his 

 wife which he has taken.- — - 



This is stated in Deut. 24, 5. No military service or other public 

 duty was to be imposed upon a man during the first year after his 

 marriage ; he was to be exempted from other duties, and free to 

 attend to the interests of his new home. In i Mac. 3, 56 we read 

 that before the battle of Emmaus in 166 B.C. Judas Maccabseus com- 

 manded that such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, 

 or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, should return, every 

 man to his own house, according to the Law ; cf. Deut. 20, 5-8 ; 

 Jud. 7, 3.— 



The bride said to the Angel of Death, The Holy One, blessed be 

 He, is true, and His Law is true. If thou take his life, thou givest 

 the lie to the Law. If thou accept my words, it is good; but if not, 

 come with me to the great tribunal, that we may be judged. Forth- 

 with the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked the angel, and he went 

 awav. 



