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Isaiah 58
Legacy Standard Bible
Isaiah 58
Legacy Standard Bible
Fasting as Yahweh Chooses
58 “(A)Call out from your throat, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (B)transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they (C)seek Me day by day and find pleasure in knowing My ways,
As a nation that has done (D)righteousness
And (E)has not forsaken the judgment of their God.
They ask Me for righteous judgments;
They find pleasure in (F)the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we (G)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we afflicted our souls and You do not know?’
Behold, on the (H)day of your fast you find your desire,
And oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast for contention and (I)quarreling and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you do today to (J)make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to afflict himself?
Is it for bowing [a]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out (K)sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an (L)acceptable day to Yahweh?
6 Is this not the fast which I choose,
To (M)loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To release the bands of [b]the yoke,
And to (N)let the oppressed go free
And (O)break every [c]yoke?
7 Is it not to (P)divide your bread [d]with the hungry
And (Q)bring the afflicted homeless into the house;
When you see the (R)naked, you cover him;
And not to (S)hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your (T)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (U)recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your (V)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of (W)Yahweh will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will (X)call, and Yahweh will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (Y)remove the [e]yoke from your midst,
The [f](Z)pointing of the finger and (AA)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you [g](AB)offer your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the soul of the afflicted,
Then your (AC)light will rise in darkness
And your thick darkness will become like midday.
11 And (AD)Yahweh will continually guide you,
And (AE)satisfy your soul in scorched places,
And (AF)fortify your bones;
And you will be like a (AG)watered garden,
And like a (AH)spring of water whose waters do not [h]fail.
12 Those from among you will (AI)rebuild the ancient waste places;
You will (AJ)raise up the foundations of past generation upon generation;
And you will be called the repairer of the (AK)breach,
The restorer of the paths for one to inhabit.
Keeping the Sabbath
13 “If because of the sabbath, you (AL)turn your foot
From doing your own desire on My holy day,
And call the sabbath a (AM)delight, the holy day of Yahweh honorable,
And honor it, by not doing your (AN)own ways,
By not finding your own desire
And (AO)speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take (AP)delight in Yahweh,
And I will make you ride (AQ)on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father,
For the (AR)mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:5 Lit his
- Isaiah 58:6 Lit the bar of the yoke
- Isaiah 58:6 Lit the bar of the yoke
- Isaiah 58:7 Lit for
- Isaiah 58:9 Lit bar of the yoke
- Isaiah 58:9 Lit sending out
- Isaiah 58:10 Lit furnish
- Isaiah 58:11 Or deceive
Isaiah 58
New International Version
Isaiah 58
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)
2 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.
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.
4 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.
5 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?
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)
7 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)
8 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)
9 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)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
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