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Is the fast I choose like this,
    a day for humankind to humiliate himself[a]?
To bow his head like a reed,
    and make[b] his bed on sackcloth and ashes;
you call this a fast
    and a day of pleasure to Yahweh?
Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice,
    to untie the ropes of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
    and tear[c] every yoke to pieces?
Is it not to break your bread for the hungry?
    You must bring home[d] the poor, the homeless.
When you see the naked, you must cover him,
    and you must not hide yourself from your relatives.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:5 Literally “his soul”
  2. Isaiah 58:5 Literally “he makes”
  3. Isaiah 58:6 Literally “you must tear”
  4. Isaiah 58:7 Literally “a house”
  5. Isaiah 58:7 Literally “flesh”

Is this the kind of fast(A) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble(B) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(C)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(D)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting(E) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(F)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(G) free
    and break every yoke?(H)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry(I)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(J)
when you see the naked, to clothe(K) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(L)

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