14 if My people who are (A)called by My name will (B)humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, (C)then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

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14 if my people, who are called by my name,(A) will humble(B) themselves and pray and seek my face(C) and turn(D) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(E) from heaven, and I will forgive(F) their sin and will heal(G) their land.

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Fasting and Prayer for Protection

21 Then I (A)proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might (B)humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the (C)right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For (D)I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, (E)“The hand of our God is upon all those for (F)good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are (G)against all those who (H)forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He (I)answered our prayer.

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21 There, by the Ahava Canal,(A) I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey(B) for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers(C) and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone(D) who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.(E) 23 So we fasted(F) and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

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So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

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When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.(A) For some days I mourned and fasted(B) and prayed before the God of heaven.

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16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in [a]Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for (A)three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; (B)and if I perish, I perish!”

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 4:16 Or Susa

16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast(A) for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”(B)

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Fasting that Pleases God

58 “Cry aloud, [a]spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
(A)Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
‘Why(B) have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we (C)afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And [b]exploit all your laborers.
(D)Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
Is (E)it a fast that I have chosen,
(F)A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And (G)to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To (H)loose the bonds of wickedness,
(I)To undo the [c]heavy burdens,
(J)To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not (K)to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are [d]cast out;
(L)When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from (M)your own flesh?
(N)Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
(O)The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The [e]pointing of the finger, and (P)speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your [f]darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
(Q)Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of [g]Streets to Dwell In.

13 “If (R)you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 (S)Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to (T)ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
(U)The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:1 do not hold back
  2. Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard
  3. Isaiah 58:6 Lit. bonds of the yoke
  4. Isaiah 58:7 wandering
  5. Isaiah 58:9 Lit. sending out of
  6. Isaiah 58:10 Or gloom
  7. Isaiah 58:12 Lit. Paths

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)
For 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.
‘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.
Your 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.
Is 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?

“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)
Is 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)
Then 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)
Then 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)
10 and 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)
11 The 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.
12 Your 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)
14 then 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)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One

(A)Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

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So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting,(A) and in sackcloth and ashes.(B)

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Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

16 “Moreover, (A)when you fast, do not be like the [a]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, (B)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [b]openly.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:16 pretenders
  2. Matthew 6:18 NU, M omit openly

Fasting

16 “When you fast,(A) do not look somber(B) as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.(C)

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Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting(A)

18 (B)The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the [a]friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come when the bridegroom will be (C)taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 2:19 Lit. sons of the bridechamber

Jesus Questioned About Fasting(A)

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting.(B) Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them,(C) and on that day they will fast.

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29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but (A)prayer [a]and fasting.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:29 NU omits and fasting

29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 9:29 Some manuscripts prayer and fasting

37 and this woman was a widow [a]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers (A)night and day.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:37 NU until she was eighty-four

37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[a](A) She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:37 Or then had been a widow for eighty-four years.

Then, (A)having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

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So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them(A) and sent them off.(B)

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14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and (A)went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

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14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.(A) On the Sabbath(B) they entered the synagogue(C) and sat down.

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23 (A)From this man’s seed, according (B)to the promise, God raised up for Israel (C)a[a] Savior—Jesus—

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 13:23 M salvation, after

23 “From this man’s descendants(A) God has brought to Israel the Savior(B) Jesus,(C) as he promised.(D)

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