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Isaiah 58:5-12
New Century Version
Isaiah 58:5-12
New Century Version
5 This 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.
7 Share 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.
8 Then 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.
9 Then 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,
10 if 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.
11 The 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.
12 Your 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.
Isaiah 58:5-12
New International Version
Isaiah 58:5-12
New International Version
5 Is this the kind of fast(A) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(B) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(C)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(D)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting(E) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(F)
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(G) free
and break every yoke?(H)
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry(I)
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(J)—
when you see the naked, to clothe(K) them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(L)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(M)
and your healing(N) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a](O) will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(P)
9 Then you will call,(Q) and the Lord will answer;(R)
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(S) and malicious talk,(T)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(U)
then your light(V) will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.(W)
11 The Lord will guide(X) you always;
he will satisfy your needs(Y) in a sun-scorched land(Z)
and will strengthen(AA) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(AB)
like a spring(AC) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(AD)
and will raise up the age-old foundations;(AE)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(AF)
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.