Isaiah 58 Contemporary English Version

True Religion

58 Shout the message!
    Don't hold back.
Say to my people Israel:
You've sinned! You've turned
    against the Lord.
²Day after day, you worship him
and seem eager to learn
    his teachings.
You act like a nation
that wants to do right
    by obeying his laws.
You ask him about justice,
and say you enjoy
    worshiping the Lord.

³You wonder why the Lord
    pays no attention
when you go without eating
    and act humble.
But on those same days
    that you give up eating,
you think only of yourselves^[a]
    and abuse your workers.
⁴You even get angry
    and ready to fight.
No wonder God won't listen
    to your prayers!

⁵Do you think the Lord
    wants you to give up eating
and to act as humble
    as a bent-over bush?
Or to dress in sackcloth
    and sit in ashes?
Is this really what he wants
    on a day of worship?

⁶I'll tell you
what it really means
    to worship the Lord.
Remove the chains of prisoners
    who are bound unjustly.
Free those who are abused!
⁷^(A) Share your food with everyone
    who is hungry;
share your home
    with the poor and homeless.
Give clothes to those in need;
don't turn away your relatives.

⁸Then your light will shine
like the dawning sun, and you
    will quickly be healed.
Your honesty^[b] will protect you
    as you advance,
and the glory of the Lord
    will defend you from behind.
⁹When you beg the Lord for help,
    he will answer, “Here I am!”

Don't mistreat others
or falsely accuse them
    or say something cruel.
¹⁰Give your food to the hungry
    and care for the homeless.
Then your light will shine
    in the dark;
your darkest hour will be
    like the noonday sun.

¹¹The Lord will always guide you
and provide good things to eat
    when you are in the desert.
He will make you healthy.
You will be like a garden
    that has plenty of water
or like a stream
    that never runs dry.
¹²You will rebuild those houses
    left in ruins for years;
you will be known
as a builder and repairer
    of city walls and streets.

¹³But first, you must start
respecting the Sabbath
    as a joyful day of worship.
You must stop doing and saying
whatever you please
    on this special day.
¹⁴Then you will truly enjoy
    knowing the Lord.
He will let you rule
    from the highest mountains
and bless you with the land
of your ancestor Jacob.
    The Lord has spoken!