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58 “Cry aloud! Don’t spare!
    Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Declare to my people their disobedience,
    and to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they seek me daily,
    and delight to know my ways.
As a nation that did righteousness,
    and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God,
they ask of me righteous judgments.
    They delight to draw near to God.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you don’t see?
    Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’

“Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
    and oppress all your laborers.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
    and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
    You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the fast that I have chosen?
    A day for a man to humble his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a reed,
    and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself?
Will you call this a fast,
    and an acceptable day to Yahweh?

“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:
    to release the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
    to let the oppressed go free,
    and that you break every yoke?
Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry,
    and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house?
When you see the naked,
    that you cover him;
    and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out as the morning,
    and your healing will appear quickly;
then your righteousness shall go before you,
    and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer.
    You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away from among you the yoke,
    finger pointing,
    and speaking wickedly;
10 and if you pour out your soul to the hungry,
    and satisfy the afflicted soul,
then your light will rise in darkness,
    and your obscurity will be as the noonday;
11 and Yahweh will guide you continually,
    satisfy your soul in dry places,
    and make your bones strong.
You will be like a watered garden,
    and like a spring of water
    whose waters don’t fail.
12 Those who will be of you will build the old waste places.
    You will raise up the foundations of many generations.
You will be called Repairer of the Breach,
    Restorer of Paths with Dwellings.

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
    from doing your pleasure on my holy day;
and call the Sabbath a delight,
    and the holy of Yahweh honorable;
    and honor it,
    not doing your own ways,
    nor finding your own pleasure,
    nor speaking your own words,
14 then you will delight yourself in Yahweh,
    and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth,
    and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father;”
    for Yahweh’s mouth has spoken it.

The Chosen Fast

58 Cry aloud, do not hold back;
    lift up your voice like a trumpet,
and show 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 has done righteousness
    and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for the ordinances of justice;
    they take delight in approaching God.
“Why have we fasted
    and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves
    and You take no notice?”

Certainly, on the day of your fast you find your desire
    and are exacting on all your laborers.
Certainly, you fast for strife and debate
    and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You do not fast as you do this day,
    to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is it such a fast that I have chosen,
    a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush,
    and to spread out sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast
    and an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I have chosen:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
    to undo the heavy burdens,
and to let the oppressed go free,
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
    and bring the poor who are outcasts into your house?
When you see the naked, to cover him
    and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth as the morning,
    and your healing shall spring forth quickly,
and your righteousness shall go before you;
    the glory of the Lord shall be your reward.
Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer;
    you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am.

If you take away the yoke from your midst,
    the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 and if you give yourself to the hungry
    and satisfy the afflicted soul,
then your light shall rise in obscurity,
    and your darkness shall become as the noonday.
11 And the Lord shall guide you continually,
    and satisfy your soul in drought,
    and strengthen your bones;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you shall rebuild 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 Paths in which to Dwell.

13 If because of the Sabbath you turn away your foot
    from doing your pleasure on My holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight,
    the holy day of the Lord honorable,
and honor it, not doing your own ways,
    nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
14 then you shall delight yourself in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth,
    and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
    For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.