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Isaiah 54-58
Amplified Bible
Isaiah 54-58
Amplified Bible
The Fertility of Zion
54 “Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth;
Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]!
For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.(A)
2
“Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children];
Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
Lengthen your tent ropes
And make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].
3
“For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
And your descendants will take possession of nations
And will inhabit deserted cities.
4
“Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame,
And do not feel humiliated or ashamed, for you will not be disgraced.
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
5
“For your husband is your Maker,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of the whole earth.
6
“For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,
And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejected and scorned,”
Says your God.
7
“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
But with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Myself again].
8
“In an outburst of wrath
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your Redeemer.
9
“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me,
As I swore [an oath] that the waters of Noah
Would not flood the earth again;
In the same way I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10
“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.
11
“O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Listen carefully, I will set your [precious] stones in mortar,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12
“And I will make your battlements of rubies,
And your gates of [shining] beryl stones,
And all your [barrier] [a]walls of precious stones.(B)
13
“And all your [spiritual] sons will be disciples [of the Lord],
And great will be the [b]well-being of your sons.(C)
14
“You will be firmly established in righteousness:
You will be far from [even the thought of] oppression, for you will not fear,
And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15
“If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me.
Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16
“Listen carefully, I have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals
And who produces a weapon for its purpose;
And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.
17
“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.
This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.
The Free Offer of Mercy
55 “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God].(D)
2
“Why do you spend money for that which is not bread,
And your earnings for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight in [c]abundance.(E)
3
“Incline your ear [to listen] and come to Me;
Hear, so that your soul may live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the faithful mercies [promised and] shown to David.(F)
4
“Listen carefully, I have appointed [d]him [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation],
A leader and commander to the peoples.
5
“In fact, you [e][Israel] will call a nation that you do not know,
And a nation that does not know you will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
6
Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.
7
Let the wicked leave (behind) his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion (mercy) on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
10
“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth,
Making it bear and sprout,
And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater,(G)
11
So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me void (useless, without result),
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12
“For you will go out [from exile] with joy
And be led forth [by the Lord Himself] with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13
“Instead of the thorn bush the cypress tree will grow,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle tree will grow;
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign [of His mercy] which will not be cut off.”
Rewards for Obedience to God
56 This is what the Lord says,
“Maintain justice and do righteousness,
For My salvation is soon to come,
And My righteousness and justice is soon to be revealed.(H)
2
“Blessed (happy, fortunate) is the man who does this,
And the son of man who takes hold of it,
Who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3
Do not let the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will most certainly separate me from His people.”
And do not let the eunuch say, “Look, I am a dry tree.”
4 This is what the Lord says,
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold firmly to My covenant,
5
To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
6
“Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it
And holds fast to My covenant [by conscientious obedience];
7
All these I will bring to My holy mountain
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will [f]be accepted on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8
The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares:
“I will gather yet others to them (Israel), to those [already] gathered.”
9
All you beasts of the field,
All you beasts (hostile nations) in the forest,
Come to eat.
10
Israel’s watchmen are blind,
They are all without knowledge.
They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark;
Panting, lying down, they love to slumber.
11
And the dogs are greedy; they [g]never have enough.
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
They have all turned to their own way,
Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception.
12
“Come,” [they say,] “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
And tomorrow will be like today, very great indeed.”
Evil Leaders Rebuked
57 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart;
Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands
That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil.
2
He enters into peace [through death];
They rest in their beds (graves),
Each one who walked uprightly [following God’s will, living with integrity].
3
“But come here, you sons of a sorceress [raised in deception and superstition],
Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.
4
“Of whom do you make fun?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of rebellion (sin),
Offspring of deceit,
5
Who inflame yourselves [with lust in pagan rites] among the oaks (terebinth trees),
Under every green and leafy tree,
Who slaughter the children [in sacrifice] in the ravines
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6
“Among the smooth stones of the ravine
Is your portion, they (the idols) are your lot;
Even to them you have poured out a drink offering,
You have offered a grain offering.
Should I be quiet concerning these things [leaving them unpunished—bearing them with patience]?
7
“Upon a high and lofty mountain
You have [openly and shamelessly] made your [idolatrous and adulterous] bed;
Even there you went up to offer sacrifice [to idols, in spiritual unfaithfulness to Me].
8
“Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your [pagan] symbol;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made a [new] agreement for yourself with the adulterers,
You have loved their bed,
You have looked [with passion] on their [h]manhood.(I)
9
“You have gone to [i]the king [of a pagan land] with oil
And increased your [j]perfumes;
You have sent your messengers a great distance
And made them go down to Sheol (the realm of the dead).
10
“You were wearied by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘It is no use.’
You found [k]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not grow weak.
11
“About whom were you worried and fearful
That you lied and did not [l]remember Me,
Nor [m]give Me a thought?
Was I not silent even for a long time
And [as a result] you do not fear Me?
12
“I will declare your [hypocritical] righteousness and your deeds,
But they will not benefit you.
13
“When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collection of idols save you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A [mere] breath will take them.
But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]
And will inherit My holy mountain.”(J)
14
And it will be said,
“Build up, build up, clear the way.
Remove the stumbling block out of the way [of the spiritual return] of My people.”
15
For the high and exalted One
He who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy says this,
“I dwell on the high and holy place,
But also with the [n]contrite and humble in spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the humble
And to revive the heart of the contrite [overcome with sorrow for sin].(K)
16
“For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For [if I did stay angry] the spirit [of man] would grow weak before Me,
And the breath of those whom I have created.
17
“Because of the wickedness of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on turning away and backsliding, in the way of his [own willful] heart.
18
“I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him [also] and will restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him,(L)
19
As I create the [o]praise of his lips,
Peace, peace, to him who is far away [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near!”
Says the Lord;
“And I will heal him [making his lips blossom anew with thankful praise].”(M)
20
But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up mire and mud.
21
“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Observances of Fasts
58 “Cry aloud, do not hold back;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2
“Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways,
As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness
And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me righteous judgments,
They delight in the nearness of God.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You do not see it?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’
Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you find something you desire [to do],
And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches].(N)
4
“The facts are that you fast only for strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high.
5
“Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]?
Is it only to bow down his head like a reed
And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]?
Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?
6
“[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose,
To undo the bonds of wickedness,
To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke,
To let the oppressed go free
And break apart every [enslaving] yoke?(O)
7
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?
8
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth;
Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity],
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(P)
9
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression],
The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,(Q)
10
And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry
And satisfy the [p]need of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
11
“And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12
“And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];
You will be called Repairer of the Breach,
Restorer of Streets [q]with Dwellings.
Keeping the Sabbath
13
“If you turn back your foot from [[r]unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, not going your own way
Or [s]engaging in your own pleasure
Or speaking your own [idle] words,
14
Then you will take pleasure in the Lord,
And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,
And I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(R)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:12 Lit boundary.
- Isaiah 54:13 Or success.
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit fatness.
- Isaiah 55:4 Or Him (the Messiah Himself).
- Isaiah 55:5 The identification of the one addressed here is uncertain. A large number of authorities believe it to be Israel, as here indicated, but other interpreters think it is the Messiah [the second David], or David as His representative.
- Isaiah 56:7 Or win favor.
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit do not know satisfaction.
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand.
- Isaiah 57:9 Another reading is Molech, i.e. to an idol of the pagan god.
- Isaiah 57:9 Lit ointments.
- Isaiah 57:10 Lit the life of your hand.
- Isaiah 57:11 Or mention.
- Isaiah 57:11 Lit put on your heart.
- Isaiah 57:15 Lit crushed.
- Isaiah 57:19 Lit fruit.
- Isaiah 58:10 Lit soul.
- Isaiah 58:12 Lit to dwell.
- Isaiah 58:13 The ancient rabbis established strict limits for travel on the Sabbath, excepting unintentional violations and religious errands. This verse became a rabbinic proof text to rule on whether a person who had put one foot beyond the Sabbath limit for his city could reenter the city. But the Hebrew text may not refer to travel at all; turn back your foot from the Sabbath can be interpreted as an idiom referring to keeping oneself from violating the Sabbath in other ways.
- Isaiah 58:13 Lit finding.
Isaiah 54-58
New International Version
Isaiah 54-58
New International Version
The Future Glory of Zion
54 “Sing, barren woman,(A)
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(B)
you who were never in labor;(C)
because more are the children(D) of the desolate(E) woman
than of her who has a husband,(F)”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,(G)
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.(H)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants(I) will dispossess nations(J)
and settle in their desolate(K) cities.
4 “Do not be afraid;(L) you will not be put to shame.(M)
Do not fear disgrace;(N) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(O)
and remember no more the reproach(P) of your widowhood.(Q)
5 For your Maker(R) is your husband(S)—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(T) of Israel is your Redeemer;(U)
he is called the God of all the earth.(V)
6 The Lord will call you back(W)
as if you were a wife deserted(X) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(Y)
only to be rejected,” says your God.
7 “For a brief moment(Z) I abandoned(AA) you,
but with deep compassion(AB) I will bring you back.(AC)
8 In a surge of anger(AD)
I hid(AE) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(AF)
I will have compassion(AG) on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.(AH)
9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(AI)
So now I have sworn(AJ) not to be angry(AK) with you,
never to rebuke(AL) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(AM)
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(AN) for you will not be shaken(AO)
nor my covenant(AP) of peace(AQ) be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion(AR) on you.
11 “Afflicted(AS) city, lashed by storms(AT) and not comforted,(AU)
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[a](AV)
your foundations(AW) with lapis lazuli.(AX)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates(AY) of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(AZ)
and great will be their peace.(BA)
14 In righteousness(BB) you will be established:(BC)
Tyranny(BD) will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.(BE)
Terror(BF) will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender(BG) to you.
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(BH)
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon(BI) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(BJ) to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,(BK)
and you will refute(BL) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(BM) of the Lord,
and this is their vindication(BN) from me,”
declares the Lord.
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(BO)
come to the waters;(BP)
and you who have no money,
come, buy(BQ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(BR)
without money and without cost.(BS)
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?(BT)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(BU)
and you will delight in the richest(BV) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen,(BW) that you may live.(BX)
I will make an everlasting covenant(BY) with you,
my faithful love(BZ) promised to David.(CA)
4 See, I have made him a witness(CB) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander(CC) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations(CD) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,(CE)
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(CF) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”(CG)
6 Seek(CH) the Lord while he may be found;(CI)
call(CJ) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake(CK) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.(CL)
Let them turn(CM) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(CN) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(CO)
8 “For my thoughts(CP) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”(CQ)
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,(CR)
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(CS)
10 As the rain(CT) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(CU)
so that it yields seed(CV) for the sower and bread for the eater,(CW)
11 so is my word(CX) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,(CY)
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose(CZ) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(DA)
and be led forth in peace;(DB)
the mountains and hills
will burst into song(DC) before you,
and all the trees(DD) of the field
will clap their hands.(DE)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers(DF) the myrtle(DG) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(DH)
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Salvation for Others
56 This is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice(DI)
and do what is right,(DJ)
for my salvation(DK) is close at hand
and my righteousness(DL) will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed(DM) is the one who does this—
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath(DN) without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigner(DO) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(DP)
And let no eunuch(DQ) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs(DR) who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant(DS)—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls(DT)
a memorial(DU) and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(DV)
that will endure forever.(DW)
6 And foreigners(DX) who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister(DY) to him,
to love the name(DZ) of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(EA) without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain(EB)
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(EC)
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.(ED)”(EE)
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather(EF) still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
God’s Accusation Against the Wicked
9 Come, all you beasts of the field,(EG)
come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
10 Israel’s watchmen(EH) are blind,
they all lack knowledge;(EI)
they are all mute dogs,
they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
they love to sleep.(EJ)
11 They are dogs with mighty appetites;
they never have enough.
They are shepherds(EK) who lack understanding;(EL)
they all turn to their own way,(EM)
they seek their own gain.(EN)
12 “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!(EO)
Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
or even far better.”(EP)
57 The righteous perish,(EQ)
and no one takes it to heart;(ER)
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.(ES)
2 Those who walk uprightly(ET)
enter into peace;
they find rest(EU) as they lie in death.
3 “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(EV)
you offspring of adulterers(EW) and prostitutes!(EX)
4 Who are you mocking?
At whom do you sneer
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(EY)
the offspring of liars?
5 You burn with lust among the oaks(EZ)
and under every spreading tree;(FA)
you sacrifice your children(FB) in the ravines
and under the overhanging crags.
6 The idols(FC) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(FD)
and offered grain offerings.
In view of all this, should I relent?(FE)
7 You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(FF)
there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(FG)
8 Behind your doors and your doorposts
you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(FH)
and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(FI)
9 You went to Molek[b](FJ) with olive oil
and increased your perfumes.(FK)
You sent your ambassadors[c](FL) far away;
you descended to the very realm of the dead!(FM)
10 You wearied(FN) yourself by such going about,
but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(FO)
You found renewal of your strength,(FP)
and so you did not faint.
11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(FQ)
that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(FR) me
nor taken this to heart?(FS)
Is it not because I have long been silent(FT)
that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(FU)
and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(FV) for help,
let your collection of idols save(FW) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a mere breath will blow(FX) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(FY) in me
will inherit the land(FZ)
and possess my holy mountain.”(GA)
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(GB)
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(GC)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(GD) One says—
he who lives forever,(GE) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(GF) and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite(GG) and lowly in spirit,(GH)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.(GI)
16 I will not accuse(GJ) them forever,
nor will I always be angry,(GK)
for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people(GL) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(GM)
I punished them, and hid(GN) my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.(GO)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(GP) them;
I will guide(GQ) them and restore comfort(GR) to Israel’s mourners,
19 creating praise on their lips.(GS)
Peace, peace,(GT) to those far and near,”(GU)
says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(GV) are like the tossing sea,(GW)
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire(GX) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(GY) says my God, “for the wicked.”(GZ)
True Fasting
58 “Shout it aloud,(HA) do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.(HB)
Declare to my people their rebellion(HC)
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(HD)
2 For day after day they seek(HE) me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken(HF) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near(HG) them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’(HH) they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(HI) ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’(HJ)
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(HK)
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(HL)
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard(HM) on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast(HN) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(HO) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(HP)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(HQ)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting(HR) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(HS)
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(HT) free
and break every yoke?(HU)
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry(HV)
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(HW)—
when you see the naked, to clothe(HX) them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(HY)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(HZ)
and your healing(IA) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[d](IB) will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(IC)
9 Then you will call,(ID) and the Lord will answer;(IE)
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(IF) and malicious talk,(IG)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(IH)
then your light(II) will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.(IJ)
11 The Lord will guide(IK) you always;
he will satisfy your needs(IL) in a sun-scorched land(IM)
and will strengthen(IN) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(IO)
like a spring(IP) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(IQ)
and will raise up the age-old foundations;(IR)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(IS)
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(IT)
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(IU)
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,(IV)
14 then you will find your joy(IW) in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(IX) of the land
and to feast on the inheritance(IY) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(IZ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
- Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
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