Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹ Shout loudly, without holding back.
    Lift up your voice like a trumpet.
Proclaim to my people their wicked deeds,
    to the house of Jacob their sins.
² Yet they search for me day after day
    in their desire to know my ways,
as if they are a nation that adheres to righteousness
    and has not abandoned the law of their God.
They request that I make righteous judgments,
    and they long to be near God.
³ They ask, “Why should we fast
    when you do not even notice?
Why should we mortify ourselves
    when you pay no heed?”
The truth is that on your fast days
    you serve your own interests
    and oppress all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting only leads to quarrels and fights
    and lashing out with vicious blows.
Such fasting as you currently practice
    will not make your voice heard on high.
⁵ Is this the type of fast that pleases me,
    a day for a man to humble himself,
to bow his head like a reed
    and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?
⁶ This rather is the type of fast that I wish:
    to loosen the fetters of injustice,
    to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to set free those who are oppressed
    and to break every yoke,
⁷ to share your bread with the hungry
    and to offer shelter to the homeless poor,
to clothe the naked when you behold them
    and not turn your back on your own kin.
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your wound will quickly be healed;
your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then, when you call, the Lord will answer;
    you will cry out for help,
    and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you cease to tolerate the yoke of oppression,
    the pointing of fingers^[a] and malicious words,

⁹ Then, when you call, the Lord will answer;
    you will cry out for help,
    and he will say, “Here I am.”
If you cease to tolerate the yoke of oppression,
    the pointing of fingers^[a] and malicious words,
¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like midday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your needs in the barren desert.
He will strengthen your limbs,
    and you will be like a watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never run dry.
¹² Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt,
    constructed on foundations from generations past.
You will be called the rebuilder of broken walls
    and the restorer of ruined streets and dwellings.

Blessed^[b] is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his precepts.
² His descendants will be powerful upon the earth;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.^[c]
3 His house will be filled with wealth and riches,^[d]
    and his righteousness will endure forever.
⁴ He shines as a light for the upright in the darkness;
    kindness, mercy, and justice are his hallmarks.^[e]
5 The future bodes well^[f] for him
    who is generous in helping those in need
    and who conducts his affairs with justice.
^6 [g]He will never be swayed;
    the righteous man will be remembered forever.
⁷ He has no fear of bad news,
    for his heart remains steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
⁸ Since his heart is tranquil, he will not be afraid,
    and he will witness the downfall of his enemies.
⁹ He bestows gifts lavishly on the poor;
    his righteousness will endure forever,
    and his horn^[h] will be exalted in glory.

¹⁰ The wicked will be furious when he sees this,
    gnashing his teeth and pining away;
    the desires of the wicked will be fruitless.^[a]

“Eye has not seen, ear has not heard,
    nor has the human heart imagined
    what God has prepared for those who love him.”

¹⁶ “For who has ever known the mind of the Lord?
    Who has ever been his instructor?”