Isaiah 58
58
CHAPTER 58
1Cry thou, cease thou not; as a trump enhance thy voice, and show thou to my people their great trespasses, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2For they seek me from day into day, and they will to know my ways; as a folk, that hath done rightfulness [or rightwiseness], and that hath not forsaken the doom of their God; they pray me dooms of rightfulness [or rightwiseness], and they will to nigh to God.
3Why fasted we, and thou beheldest not; we meeked our souls, and thou knewest not? Lo! your will is found in the day of your fasting, and ye ask all your debtors.
4Lo! ye fast to chidings and strivings, and smite with the fist wickedly. Do not ye fast, as ye have unto this day, that your cry be heard on high.
5Whether such is the fasting which I choose, a man to torment his soul by day? whether to bind his head as a circle, and to make ready a sackcloth and ashes? Whether thou shalt call this a fasting, and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6Whether not this is more the fasting, which I choose? Unbind thou the bindings together of unpity, either of cruelty, release thou [the] burdens pressing down; deliver thou them free, that be broken, and break thou each burden.
7Break thy bread to the hungry man, and bring into thine house needy men and harbourless; when thou seest a naked man, cover thou him, and despise not thy flesh, that is, brother or sister.
8Then thy light shall break out as the morrowtide, and thine health shall rise full soon; and thy rightful-ness [or rightwiseness] shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee to rest.
9Then thou shalt call to help, and the Lord shall hear; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am present, for I am merciful, thy Lord God. If thou takest away the chain from the midst of thee, and ceasest to hold forth the finger, and to speak that that profiteth not;
10when thou sheddest [or shalt pour] out thy soul, either thy will, to an hungry man, and [ful] fillest a soul that is tormented, thy light shall rise in darknesses, and thy darknesses shall be as midday.
11And the Lord thy God shall give ever rest to thee, and shall [ful] fill thy soul with shinings, and shall deliver thy bones; and thou shalt be as a watered garden, and as a well of waters, whose waters shall not fail.
12And the forsaken things of world’s shall be builded in thee, and thou shalt raise the foundaments of generation and generation; and thou shalt be called, A builder of hedges, turning away the paths of wicked-nesses.
13If thou turnest away thy foot from the sabbath, to do thy [own] will in mine holy day; and callest the sabbath delicate, and holy, the glorious of the Lord; and glorifiest him, while thou doest not thy ways, and thy will is not found, that thou speak a word;
14then thou shalt delight on the Lord, and I shall raise thee [up] on the highness of the earth, and I shall feed thee with the heritage of Jacob, thy father; for why the mouth of the Lord spake.
Currently Selected:
Isaiah 58: WBMS
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010
Isaiah 58
58
The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion
1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loud as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;#tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
confront Jacob’s family with their sin!#tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
2 They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements,#tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
like a nation that does what is right
and does not reject the law of their God.
They ask me for just decrees;
they want to be near God.
3 They lament,#tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification. ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?
Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’
Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,#tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”
you oppress your workers.#tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.
4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by#tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.” arguments, brawls,
and fistfights.#tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”
Do not fast as you do today,
trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want?#tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,#tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out#tn Or “making [their] bed.” on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this really what you call a fast,
a day that is pleasing to the Lord?
6 No, this is the kind of fast I want.#tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
I want you#tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed,#tn Heb “crushed.”
and to break every burdensome yoke.
7 I want you#tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!” to share your food with the hungry
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.#tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
When you see someone naked, clothe him!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!#tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise;#tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.” sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.
your restoration will quickly arrive;#tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”
your godly behavior#tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see. will go before you,
and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.#sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.
9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;
you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’
You must#tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b. remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
10 You must#tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b. actively help the hungry
and feed the oppressed.#tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”
Then your light will dispel the darkness,#tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”
and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.#tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”
11 The Lord will continually lead you;
he will feed you even in parched regions.#tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”
He will give you renewed strength,#tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”
and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;#tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”
you will reestablish the ancient foundations.
You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,
the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’#tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (nÿtivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (nÿtitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.
13 You must#tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in v. 13), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14. observe the Sabbath#tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”
rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.#tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”
You must look forward to the Sabbath#tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”
and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect.#tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).
You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,
and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.#tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:30).
14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord,#tn For a parallel use of the phrase “find joy in” (Hitpael of עָנַג [’anag] followed by the preposition עַל [’al]), see Ps 37:4.
and I will give you great prosperity,#tn Heb “and I will cause you to ride upon the heights of the land.” The statement seems to be an allusion to Deut 32:13, where it is associated, as here, with God’s abundant provision of food.
and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”#tn Heb “and I will cause you to eat the inheritance of Jacob your father.” The Hebrew term נַחֲלָה (nakhalah) likely stands by metonymy for the crops that grow on Jacob’s “inheritance” (i.e., the land he inherited as a result of God’s promise).
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.#tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the preceding promise will become reality (because it is guaranteed by the divine word).
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC