Isaiah 58
58
True fasting
1‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3“Why have we fasted,” they say,
“and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?”
‘Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness#58:8 Or your righteous One will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.
‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13‘If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honourable,
and if you honour it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.’
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 58
58
True Fasting
1“Cry out loudly, don’t hold back!
Raise your voice like a ram’s horn.
Tell my people their transgression
and the house of Jacob their sins.
2They seek me day after day
and delight to know my ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God.”#Ps 119:151; Is 29:13; 57:3; Jms 4:8
3“Why have we fasted, but you have not seen?#Mal 3:14; Lk 18:12
We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” #58:3 These are Israel’s words to God.
“Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast,
and oppress all your workers.#Is 22:12–13; Zch 7:5–6
4You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
5Will the fast I choose be like this:
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?#Est 4:3; Dn 9:3
Will you call this a fast
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6Isn’t this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,#Jb 36:8; Ps 107:10; Ec 7:26
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?#Neh 5:10–12; Is 58:9; Jr 34:8
7Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,#Jb 31:19–20; Is 58:10; Ezk 18:7,16
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,#Mt 25:35–36; Lk 3:11
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?#58:7 Lit not hide yourself from your flesh#Dt 22:1–4; Lk 10:31–32
8Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.#Is 30:26; 33:24; Jr 30:17; 33:6
Your righteousness will go before you,#Ps 85:13; Is 62:1
and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.#Ex 14:19; Is 52:12
9At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer;#Ps 50:15; Is 55:6; 65:24
when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you get rid of the yoke among you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,#Pr 6:13
10and if you offer yourself#58:10 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read offer your bread to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,#Jb 11:17; Ps 37:6; Is 42:16; 58:8
and your night will be like noonday.
11The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden#Sg 4:15; Is 27:3; Jr 31:12
and like a spring whose water never runs dry.#Jn 4:14; 7:38
12Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;#Ezr 6:14; Neh 4:6; Is 49:8; 61:4; Ezk 36:10
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;#1Kg 6:37; Ezr 3:10–12
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live.
13“If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath,#Ex 31:16–17; 35:2–3; Is 56:2–6; Jr 17:21–27
from doing whatever you want on my holy day;
if you call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,#Is 55:8
seeking your own pleasure, or talking business;#58:13 Or idly#58:13 Lit or speak a word
14then you will delight in the Lord,#Jb 22:26; Ps 37:4
and I will make you ride over the heights of the land,#Dt 32:13; 33:29; Is 33:16; Hab 3:19
and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.#Is 1:20; 40:5
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