The literal sequence is as in New Revised Standard Version: first, she got up, then they began to pray, then he began to say…. Presumably Tobias is uttering the words for both of them as they pray together.

Tobias began by saying seems to suggest in English that Tobias is going to say something else later, but in fact the words of verses 5-8 constitute the whole prayer. Good News Translation therefore omits nothing essential with “Then Tobias prayed.”

The prayer, though in Greek, reflects the patterns of Hebrew poetry, and all modern versions set it up as poetry; but see the comments on translating poetry in the introductory comments on 3.1-6. Translators need to keep in mind that simply using indented lines does not automatically make this poetry. If prayers don’t normally appear as poetry in the language, then it may be better to translate as prose, with a footnote advising readers that the original Hebrew document, from which the Greek translation was made, had poetry. The content of the prayer reflects the account in Gen 2.18-24.

Blessed: See the note on 3.11.

For Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you forever, see the similar lines in 3.11.

A translation model for the first three lines of the prayer is:

• God whom our ancestors worshiped, people should praise [bless] you.
Let everything that you have created in heaven and on earth honor [bless] your name forever and ever.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.