Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

Isaiah 58
New English Translation

The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion

58 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loudly as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;[a]
confront Jacob’s family with their sin.[b]
2 They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements,[c]
like a nation that does what is right
and does not reject the law of their God.
They ask me for just decrees;
they want to be near God.
3 They lament,[d] ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?
Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’
Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,[e]
you oppress your workers.[f]
4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by[g] arguments, brawls,
and fistfights.[h]
Do not fast as you do today,
trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want?[i]
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,[j]
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out[k] on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this really what you call a fast,
a day that is pleasing to the Lord?
6 No, this is the kind of fast I want:[l]
I want you[m] to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed,[n]
and to break every burdensome yoke.
7 I want you[o] to share your food with the hungry
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.[p]
When you see someone naked, clothe them!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood.[q]
8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise;[r]
your restoration will quickly arrive;[s]
your godly behavior[t] will go before you,
and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard.[u]
9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;
you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’
You must[v] remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
10 You must[w] actively help the hungry
and feed the oppressed.[x]
Then your light will dispel the darkness,[y]
and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.[z]
11 The Lord will continually lead you;
he will feed you even in parched regions.[aa]
He will give you renewed strength,[ab]
and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;[ac]
you will reestablish the ancient foundations.
You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,
the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’[ad]
13 You must[ae] observe the Sabbath[af]
rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.[ag]
You must look forward to the Sabbath[ah]
and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect.[ai]
You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,
and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.[aj]
14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord,[ak]
and I will give you great prosperity,[al]
and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”[am]
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.[an]

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:1 tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
  2. Isaiah 58:1 tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  3. Isaiah 58:2 tn Heb “ways” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV); NLT “my laws.”
  4. Isaiah 58:3 tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  5. Isaiah 58:3 tn Heb “you find pleasure”; NASB “you find your desire.”
  6. Isaiah 58:3 tn Or perhaps, “debtors.” See HALOT 865 s.v. * עָצֵב.
  7. Isaiah 58:4 tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”
  8. Isaiah 58:4 tn Heb “and for striking with a sinful fist.”
  9. Isaiah 58:5 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
  10. Isaiah 58:5 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  11. Isaiah 58:5 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
  12. Isaiah 58:6 tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  13. Isaiah 58:6 tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  14. Isaiah 58:6 tn Heb “crushed.”
  15. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”
  16. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (merudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
  17. Isaiah 58:7 tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
  18. Isaiah 58:8 tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.” sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.
  19. Isaiah 58:8 tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”
  20. Isaiah 58:8 tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.
  21. Isaiah 58:8 sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.
  22. Isaiah 58:9 tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (multiple “if” clauses here) appears in vv. 9b-10a, with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.
  23. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.
  24. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”
  25. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”
  26. Isaiah 58:10 tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”
  27. Isaiah 58:11 tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”
  28. Isaiah 58:11 tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”
  29. Isaiah 58:12 tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”
  30. Isaiah 58:12 tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (netivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (netitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.
  31. Isaiah 58:13 tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (multiple “if” clauses here) appears in v. 13, with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.
  32. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”
  33. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “[from] doing your desires on my holy day.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa supplies the preposition מִן (min) on “doing.”
  34. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and call the Sabbath a pleasure”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “a delight.”
  35. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and [call] the holy [day] of the Lord honored.” On קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy”) as indicating a time period, see BDB 872 s.v. 2.e (cf. also Neh 8:9-11).
  36. Isaiah 58:13 tn Heb “and you honor it [by refraining] from accomplishing your ways, from finding your desire and speaking a word.” It is unlikely that the last phrase (“speaking a word”) is a prohibition against talking on the Sabbath; instead it probably refers to making transactions or plans (see Hos 10:4). Some see here a reference to idle talk (cf. 2 Sam 19:29).
  37. Isaiah 58:14 tn For a parallel use of the phrase “find joy in” (Hitpael of עָנַג [ʿanag] followed by the preposition עַל [ʿal]), see Ps 37:4.
  38. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “and I will cause you to ride upon the heights of the land.” The statement seems to be an allusion to Deut 32:13, where it is associated, as here, with God’s abundant provision of food.
  39. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “and I will cause you to eat the inheritance of Jacob your father.” The Hebrew term נַחֲלָה (nakhalah) likely stands by metonymy for the crops that grow on Jacob’s “inheritance” (i.e., the land he inherited as a result of God’s promise).
  40. Isaiah 58:14 tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the preceding promise will become reality (because it is guaranteed by the divine word).
Close NCV

Isaiah 58
New Century Version

How to Honor God

58 The Lord says, “Shout out loud. Don’t hold back.
    Shout out loud like a trumpet.
Tell my people what they have done against their God;
    tell the family of Jacob about their sins.
2 They still come every day looking for me
    and want to learn my ways.
They act just like a nation that does what is right,
    that obeys the commands of its God.
They ask me to judge them fairly.
    They want God to be near them.
3 They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted,
    but you didn’t see.
We humbled ourselves to honor you,
    but you didn’t notice.’”

But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days,
    and you are unfair to your workers.
4 On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight
    and hit each other with your fists.
You cannot do these things as you do now
    and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.
5 This kind of special day is not what I want.
    This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done.
I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant
    and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness.
This is what you do on your special days when you fast,
    but do you think this is what the Lord wants?

6 “I will tell you the kind of fast I want:
Free the people you have put in prison unfairly
    and undo their chains.
Free those to whom you are unfair
    and stop their hard labor.
7 Share your food with the hungry
    and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes.
When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours,
    and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.
8 Then your light will shine like the dawn,
    and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your God will walk before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer.
    You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you stop making trouble for others,
    if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,
10 if you feed those who are hungry
    and take care of the needs of those who are troubled,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
    and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.
11 The Lord will always lead you.
    He will satisfy your needs in dry lands
    and give strength to your bones.
You will be like a garden that has much water,
    like a spring that never runs dry.
12 Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins;
    you will rebuild their foundations.
You will be known for repairing the broken places
    and for rebuilding the roads and houses.

13 “You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath
    and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day.
You should call the Sabbath a joyful day
    and honor it as the Lord’s holy day.
You should honor it by not doing whatever you please
    nor saying whatever you please on that day.
14 Then you will find joy in the Lord,
    and I will carry you to the high places above the earth.
    I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.”
The Lord has said these things.

Close HCV

Ezayi 58
Haitian Creole Version

58 ¶ Seyè a di m' konsa: -Rele ak tout fòs ou, rele mezi ou kapab! Fè vwa ou sonnen tankou klewon! Fè pèp mwen an konnen tout mechanste li fè yo! Fè moun fanmi Jakòb yo konnen tout peche yo te fè!

2 Chak jou, y'ap fè sèvis pou mwen. Yo pretann yo konnen chemen m' yo, tankou si se yon nasyon ki fè sa ki dwat devan m', epi ki pa t' janm lage lòd mwen te ba yo. Y'ap mande m' pou m' defann kòz yo. Yo ta vle pou Bondye kanpe la ak yo.

3 ¶ Pèp la ap di: -Sa nou bezwen fè jèn fè si Bondye p'ap wè sa? Sa nou bezwen pran lapenn pou sa nou fè ki mal si ou p'ap gade sou sa? Seyè a reponn yo: -M'ap di nou laverite. Jou n'ap fè jèn lan, se jou sa a tou n'ap chache fè sa ki nan enterè nou ase. Se lè sa a n'ap plede peze moun k'ap travay pou nou yo.

4 Konsa tou, jou n'ap fè jèn lan, se lè sa a tou n'ap joure, n'ap fè kont, n'ap goumen, n'ap bay move kou. Jan mwen wè n'ap fè jèn lan jòdi a se pa konsa pou nou fè l' si nou vle lapriyè nou yo rive nan zòrèy mwen.

5 Eske mwen ka pran plezi nan kalite jèn sa a? Se sa nou rele yon jou n'ap pran lapenn pou sa nou fè ki mal? Fè jèn pou nou, se bese tèt nou jouk atè tankou wozo van ap pliye, se kouche plat atè sou sak nan mitan sann dife. Atò se sa nou rele fè jèn? Se sa ki pou fè Bondye plezi a?

6 Non! Men kalite jèn ki pou fè kè m' kontan an: Sispann fè mechanste. Sispann fè lenjistis. Bay esklav nou yo libète! Mete chay k'ap foule moun yo atè.

7 Separe sa nou genyen ak moun ki grangou. Louvri pòt kay nou pou nou resevwa malere ki pa gen kote pou yo dòmi. Si nou wè yon frè nou toutouni, ba li rad pou li mete sou li. Pa refize lonje men bay frè parèy ou.

8 ¶ Lè sa a, tankou solèy k'ap leve, m'ap klere nou, m'a fè nou wè jan mwen renmen nou. Lapoula m'a geri nou, m'a toujou mache ak nou pou m' delivre nou. Pouvwa Bondye a va mache dèyè nou pou pwoteje nou.

9 Lè sa a, si nou lapriyè nan pye m', m'a reponn nou. Si nou rele m', m'a di men mwen! Si nou rache tout mechanste nan kè nou voye jete, si nou sispann kraponnen moun, si nou sispann pale moun mal,

10 si nou manje ak moun ki grangou, si nou plen vant moun ki nan nesesite, limyè va klere pou nou nan mitan fènwa. Lannwit va fè klè pou nou tankou gwo midi.

11 Se tout tan Seyè a va moutre nou chemen pou nou pran, l'a rafrechi nanm nou nan tan chechrès. L'a ban nou fòs ak kouraj. N'a tankou yon jaden ki byen wouze, tankou yon sous dlo ki pa janm chèch.

12 N'a rebati vye kay nou yo ki te fin tonbe. N'a moute lòt kay sou ansyen miray fondasyon tan lontan yo. Y'a rele nou moun ki konn repare miray fann yo, moun ki konn balize granchemen yo, moun k'ap refè kay ki kraze yo pou moun ka vin rete nan peyi a ankò.

13 ¶ Si nou veye kò nou pou nou respekte jou repo a, pou nou pa regle pwòp zafè nou jou ki apa pou mwen an, si se yon plezi pou nou lè jou repo a rive, si nou respekte jou ki apa pou mwen menm, Seyè a, pou jou sa a nou pa nan fè sa ki nan lide nou, nou pa nan vwayaje, nou pa nan fè travay, ni nou pa nan pale vye koze,

14 lè sa a, n'a jwenn plezi nou nan fè sèvis pou mwen. M'a fè tout moun sou latè pote nou anlè, n'a jwi lavi nan peyi mwen te bay Jakòb, zansèt nou an. Se mwen menm, Seyè a, ki di sa!

Next
Isaiah 57
Isaiah 59
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

New Century Version (NCV)

The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Learn the Bible in 30 days
Haitian Creole Version (HCV)

by United Bible Societies