Isaiah 58

How to Honor God

1The Lord says, “Shout out loud. Don’t hold back.

Shout out loud like a trumpet.

Tell my people what they have done against their God;

tell the family of Jacob about their sins.

2They still come every day looking for me

and want to learn my ways.

They act just like a nation that does what is right,

that obeys the commands of its God.

They ask me to judge them fairly.

They want God to be near them.

3They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted,

but you didn’t see.

We humbled ourselves to honor you,

but you didn’t notice.’ ”

But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days,

and you are unfair to your workers.

4On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight

and hit each other with your fists.

You cannot do these things as you do now

and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.

5This kind of special day is not what I want.

This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done.

I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant

and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness.

This is what you do on your special days when you fast,

but do you think this is what the Lord wants?

6“I will tell you the kind of fast I want:

Free the people you have put in prison unfairly

and undo their chains.

Free those to whom you are unfair

and stop their hard labor.

7Share your food with the hungry

and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes.

When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours,

and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.

8Then your light will shine like the dawn,

and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your God will walk before you,

and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

9Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer.

You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you stop making trouble for others,

if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,

10if you feed those who are hungry

and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,

then your light will shine in the darkness,

and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.

11The Lord will always lead you.

He will satisfy your needs in dry lands

and give strength to your bones.

You will be like a garden that has much water,

like a spring that never runs dry.

12Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins;

you will rebuild their foundations.

You will be known for repairing the broken places

and for rebuilding the roads and houses.

13“You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath

and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day.

You should call the Sabbath a joyful day

and honor it as the Lord’s holy day.

You should honor it by not doing whatever you please

nor saying whatever you please on that day.

14Then you will find joy in the Lord,

and I will carry you to the high places above the earth.

I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.”

The Lord has said these things.

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Isaiah 58: NCV

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Isaiah 58

True and False Worship

1“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.

Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.

Tell my people Israel#58:1 Hebrew Jacob. See note on 14:1. of their sins!

2Yet they act so pious!

They come to the Temple every day

and seem delighted to learn all about me.

They act like a righteous nation

that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf,

pretending they want to be near me.

3‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.

‘Why aren’t you impressed?

We have been very hard on ourselves,

and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.

“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.

Even while you fast,

you keep oppressing your workers.

4What good is fasting

when you keep on fighting and quarreling?

This kind of fasting

will never get you anywhere with me.

5You humble yourselves

by going through the motions of penance,

bowing your heads

like reeds bending in the wind.

You dress in burlap

and cover yourselves with ashes.

Is this what you call fasting?

Do you really think this will please the Lord?

6“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

and remove the chains that bind people.

7Share your food with the hungry,

and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,

and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your godliness will lead you forward,

and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

9Then when you call, the Lord will answer.

‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.

Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

10Feed the hungry,

and help those in trouble.

Then your light will shine out from the darkness,

and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

11The Lord will guide you continually,

giving you water when you are dry

and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like an ever-flowing spring.

12Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.

Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls

and a restorer of homes.

13“Keep the Sabbath day holy.

Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,

but enjoy the Sabbath

and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.

Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,

and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.

14Then the Lord will be your delight.

I will give you great honor

and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.

I, the Lord, have spoken!”

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