Observances of Fasts

58 (A)Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (B)wrongdoing,
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they (C)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done (D)righteousness
And (E)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight (F)in the nearness of God.
‘Why have we (G)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [a]notice?’
Behold, on the (H)day of your fast you find your desire,
And oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast for contention and (I)strife, and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you have done today to (J)make your voice heard on high!
Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [b]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 the Lord?
Is this not the fast that I choose:
To (M)release the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the ropes of the yoke,
And to (N)let the oppressed go free,
And (O)break every yoke?
Is it not to (P)break your bread [c]with the hungry
And (Q)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (R)naked, to cover him;
And not to (S)hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your (T)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (U)recovery will spring up quickly;
And your (V)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (W)Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will (X)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (Y)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [d](Z)pointing of the finger and (AA)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you (AB)offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the [e]need of the afflicted,
Then your (AC)light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
11 And the (AD)Lord will continually guide you,
And (AE)satisfy your [f]desire in scorched places,
And (AF)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (AG)watered garden,
And like a (AH)spring of water whose waters do not [g]fail.
12 Those from among you will (AI)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (AJ)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (AK)breach,
The restorer of the [h]streets in which to dwell.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 “If, because of the Sabbath, you (AL)restrain your foot
From doing as you wish on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a (AM)pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your (AN)own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And (AO)speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take (AP)delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride (AQ)on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the (AR)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:3 Lit know
  2. Isaiah 58:5 Lit his
  3. Isaiah 58:7 Lit for
  4. Isaiah 58:9 I.e., an abusive gesture
  5. Isaiah 58:10 Or soul
  6. Isaiah 58:11 Or soul
  7. Isaiah 58:11 Or deceive
  8. Isaiah 58:12 Lit paths

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.”

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

真正的虔誠

58 「你要高聲呼喊,不要停止;
要放聲高呼,像響亮的號角。
要向我的子民宣告他們的過犯,
向雅各家宣告他們的罪惡。
他們天天尋求我,
好像渴慕認識我的律法,
儼然像沒有丟棄他們上帝法令的正義之邦。
他們向我求公義的判決,
似乎渴慕到我面前。
他們說,『我們禁食,你為什麼不看呢?
我們刻苦己身,你為什麼不理睬呢?』
我說,『看啊,禁食之日你們仍然隨心所欲,
壓榨你們的工人。
你們一面禁食,一面爭鬧打鬥,
彼此惡拳相向。
不要指望這樣的禁食會使你們的禱告在天上蒙垂聽。
難道這是我要的禁食嗎?
難道刻苦己身、
像蘆葦一樣垂著頭、
躺在麻布和爐灰上就是禁食嗎?
這就是你們所謂的禁食,
所謂的蒙耶和華悅納的日子嗎?

『我要的禁食是,
除去罪惡的鎖鏈,
解開軛上的繩索,
折斷一切的軛,
使受欺壓的人得到自由,
把你們的食物分給饑餓的人,
接待無家可歸的窮人,
送衣服給赤身露體的人,
不躲避求助的親人。
如果你們這樣做,你們的光必如晨光照耀,
你們的創傷必迅速痊癒,
你們的公義必在前方為你們開路,
耶和華的榮耀必在後面保護你們。
你們求告,我必應允;
你們呼求,我必回應。
如果你們不再欺壓、指責、譭謗,
10 如果你們給饑餓的人食物,
扶助困苦的人,
你們的光必照亮黑暗,
你們的黑夜必變成正午。
11 耶和華必不斷地引導你們,
使你們在乾旱之地也能得到供應,筋骨強健。
你們必像灌溉充足的園子,
又像湧流不息的泉源。
12 你們當中必有人重修古老的荒場,
重建遠古的根基。
你們必被稱為修補斷垣、
重建街道的人。

13 『如果你們遵守安息日,
在我的聖日不做私事,
以安息日為樂,
尊崇我的聖日,
不隨意而行,
不妄自說話,
14 就必以耶和華為樂,
耶和華必使你們在地上受尊崇,
並享用你們先祖雅各的產業。』」
這是耶和華親口說的。