Isaiah 58:4-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
4 See, you fast only to quarrel and fight
and to strike with a wicked fist!
Do not fast as you do today
to make your voice heard on high!
5 Is this the manner of fasting I would choose,
a day to afflict oneself?
To bow one’s head like a reed,
and lie upon sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?(A)
Authentic Fasting That Leads to Blessing[a]
6 Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking off every yoke?(B)
Footnotes
- 58:6–12 Fasting is not genuine without reforming one’s way of life. A true social morality will ensure prosperity.
Isaiah 58:4-6
New International Version
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(A)
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard(B) on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast(C) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(D) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(E)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(F)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.