Isaiah 58-59

New International Version

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,^(A) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.^(B)
Declare to my people their rebellion^(C)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.^(D)
²For day after day they seek^(E) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken^(F) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near^(G) them.
³‘Why have we fasted,’^(H) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled^(I) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’^(J)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please^(K)
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,^(L)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard^(M) on high.
⁵Is this the kind of fast^(N) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble^(O) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed^(P)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?^(Q)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting^(R) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice^(S)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed^(T) free
    and break every yoke?^(U)
⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry^(V)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter^(W)—
when you see the naked, to clothe^(X) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?^(Y)
⁸Then your light will break forth like the dawn,^(Z)
    and your healing^(AA) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a]^(AB) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.^(AC)
⁹Then you will call,^(AD) and the Lord will answer;^(AE)
    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^(AF) and malicious talk,^(AG)
¹⁰and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,^(AH)
then your light^(AI) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.^(AJ)
¹¹The Lord will guide^(AK) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs^(AL) in a sun-scorched land^(AM)
    and will strengthen^(AN) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,^(AO)
    like a spring^(AP) whose waters never fail.
¹²Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins^(AQ)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;^(AR)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,^(AS)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath^(AT)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight^(AU)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,^(AV)
¹⁴then you will find your joy^(AW) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights^(AX) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance^(AY) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(AZ)

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm^(BA) of the Lord is not too short^(BB) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.^(BC)
²But your iniquities have separated^(BD)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.^(BE)
³For your hands are stained with blood,^(BF)
    your fingers with guilt.^(BG)
Your lips have spoken falsely,^(BH)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
⁴No one calls for justice;^(BI)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely^(BJ) on empty arguments, they utter lies;^(BK)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.^(BL)
⁵They hatch the eggs of vipers^(BM)
    and spin a spider’s web.^(BN)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
⁶Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.^(BO)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence^(BP) are in their hands.
⁷Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.^(BQ)
They pursue evil schemes;^(BR)
    acts of violence mark their ways.^(BS)
⁸The way of peace they do not know;^(BT)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;^(BU)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.^(BV)

⁹So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;^(BW)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
¹⁰Like the blind^(BX) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble^(BY) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.^(BZ)
¹¹We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.^(CA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

¹²For our offenses^(CB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify^(CC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:^(CD)
¹³rebellion^(CE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs^(CF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,^(CG)
    uttering lies^(CH) our hearts have conceived.
¹⁴So justice^(CI) is driven back,
    and righteousness^(CJ) stands at a distance;
truth^(CK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
¹⁵Truth^(CL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.^(CM)
¹⁶He saw that there was no one,^(CN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;^(CO)
so his own arm achieved salvation^(CP) for him,
    and his own righteousness^(CQ) sustained him.
¹⁷He put on righteousness as his breastplate,^(CR)
    and the helmet^(CS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments^(CT) of vengeance^(CU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal^(CV) as in a cloak.
¹⁸According to what they have done,
    so will he repay^(CW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands^(CX) their due.
¹⁹From the west,^(CY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,^(CZ) they will revere his glory.^(DA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath^(DB) of the Lord drives along.^[b]

²⁰“The Redeemer^(DC) will come to Zion,^(DD)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”^(DE)
declares the Lord.

²¹“As for me, this is my covenant^(DF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,^(DG) who is on you, will not depart from you,^(DH) and my words that I have put in your mouth^(DI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight

2 Corinthians 8:16-9:15

New International Version

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection

¹⁶Thanks be to God,^(A) who put into the heart^(B) of Titus^(C) the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.^(D) ¹⁸And we are sending along with him the brother^(E) who is praised by all the churches^(F) for his service to the gospel.^(G) ¹⁹What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us^(H) as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.^(I) ²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.^(J)

²²In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus,^(K) he is my partner^(L) and co-worker^(M) among you; as for our brothers,^(N) they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you,^(O) so that the churches can see it.

9 There is no need^(P) for me to write to you about this service^(Q) to the Lord’s people.^(R) ²For I know your eagerness to help,^(S) and I have been boasting^(T) about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year^(U) you in Achaia^(V) were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. ³But I am sending the brothers^(W) in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.^(X) ⁴For if any Macedonians^(Y) come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. ⁵So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers^(Z) to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift,^(AA) not as one grudgingly given.^(AB)

Generosity Encouraged

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.^(AC) ⁷Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,^(AD) not reluctantly or under compulsion,^(AE) for God loves a cheerful giver.^(AF) ⁸And God is able^(AG) to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,^(AH) you will abound in every good work. ⁹As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts^(AI) to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]^(AJ)

¹⁰Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food^(AK) will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.^(AL) ¹¹You will be enriched^(AM) in every way so that you can be generous^(AN) on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.^(AO)

¹²This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs^(AP) of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.^(AQ) ¹³Because of the service^(AR) by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God^(AS) for the obedience that accompanies your confession^(AT) of the gospel of Christ,^(AU) and for your generosity^(AV) in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God^(AW) for his indescribable gift!^(AX)

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 9:9 Psalm 112:9

Psalm 107:29-35

New International Version

²⁹He stilled the storm^(A) to a whisper;
    the waves^(B) of the sea^[a] were hushed.^(C)
³⁰They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them^(D) to their desired haven.
³¹Let them give thanks^(E) to the Lord for his unfailing love^(F)
    and his wonderful deeds^(G) for mankind.
³²Let them exalt^(H) him in the assembly^(I) of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.

³³He turned rivers into a desert,^(J)
    flowing springs^(K) into thirsty ground,
³⁴and fruitful land into a salt waste,^(L)
    because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
³⁵He turned the desert into pools of water^(M)
    and the parched ground into flowing springs;^(N)

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Footnotes

Psalm 107:29 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / their waves

Proverbs 23:24-25

New International Version

²⁴The father of a righteous child has great joy;
a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.^(A)
²⁵May your father and mother rejoice;
may she who gave you birth be joyful!^(B)