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Isaiah 58-60
Amplified Bible
Isaiah 58-60
Amplified Bible
Observances of Fasts
58 “Cry aloud, do not hold back;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their transgression
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2
“Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways,
As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness
And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me righteous judgments,
They delight in the nearness of God.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You do not see it?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’
Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you find something you desire [to do],
And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches].(A)
4
“The facts are that you fast only for strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high.
5
“Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]?
Is it only to bow down his head like a reed
And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]?
Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?
6
“[Rather] is this not the fast which I choose,
To undo the bonds of wickedness,
To tear to pieces the ropes of the yoke,
To let the oppressed go free
And break apart every [enslaving] yoke?(B)
7
“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not to hide yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?
8
“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth;
Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity],
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(C)
9
“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression],
The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,(D)
10
And if you offer yourself to [assist] the hungry
And satisfy the [a]need of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
11
“And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12
“And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up and restore the age-old foundations [of buildings that have been laid waste];
You will be called Repairer of the Breach,
Restorer of Streets [b]with Dwellings.
Keeping the Sabbath
13
“If you turn back your foot from [[c]unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath,
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, not going your own way
Or [d]engaging in your own pleasure
Or speaking your own [idle] words,
14
Then you will take pleasure in the Lord,
And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,
And I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”(E)
Separation from God
59 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short
That it cannot save,
Nor His ear so [e]impaired
That it cannot hear.
2
But your wickedness has separated you from your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
3
For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with wickedness [with sin, with injustice, with wrongdoing];
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4
No one sues righteously [but for the sake of doing injury to others—to take some undue advantage], and no one pleads [his case] in truth; [but rather]
They trust in empty arguments and speak lies;
They conceive trouble and bring forth injustice.
5
They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s webs;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from an egg which is crushed a viper breaks out.
6
Their webs will not serve as clothing,
Nor will they cover themselves with what they make;
Their works are works of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing],
And the act of violence is in their hands.
7
Their feet run to evil,
And they rush to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness [of sin, of injustice, of wrongdoing];
Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8
They do not know the way of peace,
And there is no justice in their tracks.
They have made them into crooked paths;
Whoever walks on them does not know peace.(F)
A Confession of Wickedness
9
Therefore justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not overtake us.
We [expectantly] hope for light, but only see darkness;
We hope for gleam of light, but we walk in darkness and gloom.
10
We grope for a wall like the blind,
We grope like those who have no eyes.
We stumble at midday as in the twilight;
Among those who are healthy we are like dead men.
11
We all groan and growl like bears,
And coo sadly like doves;
We hope for justice, but there is none,
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12
For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord],
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And we know and recognize our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]:
13
Rebelling against and denying the Lord,
Turning away from [following] our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and muttering from the heart lying words.
14
Justice is pushed back,
And righteous behavior stands far away;
For truth has fallen in the city square,
And [f]integrity cannot enter.
15
Yes, truth is missing;
And he who turns away from evil makes himself a prey.
Now the Lord saw it,
And it [g]displeased Him that there was no justice.
16
He saw that there was no man,
And was amazed that there was no one to intercede [on behalf of truth and right];
Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His own righteousness sustained Him.(G)
17
For He [the Lord] put on righteousness like a coat of armor,
And salvation like a helmet on His head;
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing
And covered Himself with zeal [and great love for His people] as a cloak.(H)
18
As their deeds deserve, so He will repay:
Wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies;
To the islands and coastlands He will repay.
19
So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west
And His glory from the rising of the sun.
For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream
Which the [h]breath of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy].(I)
20
“A Redeemer (Messiah) will come to Zion,
And to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression (sin),” declares the Lord.
21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual] [i]children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”(J)
A Glorified Zion
60 “Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come,
And the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you.(K)
2
“For in fact, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness will cover the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem]
And His glory and brilliance will be seen on you.(L)
3
“Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.(M)
4
“Lift up your eyes around you and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
And your daughters will be looked after at their side.
5
“Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will tremble [with joy] and rejoice
Because the abundant wealth of the seas will [j]be brought to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.(N)
6
“A multitude of camels [from the eastern trading tribes] will cover you [Jerusalem],
The young camels of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba [who once came to trade] will come
Bringing gold and frankincense
And proclaiming the praises of the Lord.(O)
7
“All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you [as the eastern pastoral tribes join the trading tribes],
The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
They will go up with acceptance [as sacrifices] on My altar,
And I will glorify the house of My honor and splendor.
8
“Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like doves to their windows?
9
“The islands and coastlands will confidently wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from far away,
Their silver and gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.
10
“Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their kings will serve you;
For in My [righteous] wrath I struck you,
But in My favor and grace I have had compassion on you.
11
“Your gates will be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
So that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations—
With their kings led in procession.(P)
12
“For the nation or the kingdom which will not serve you [Jerusalem] shall perish,
And the nations [that refuse to serve] shall be utterly ruined.
13
“The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The [k]cypress, the juniper, and the cedar together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will honor and make the place of My feet glorious.
14
“The sons of those who oppressed you will come bowing down to you [in submission],
And all those who despised you and treated you disrespectfully will bow down at the soles of your feet,
And they will call you the City of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.(Q)
15
“Whereas you [Jerusalem] have been abandoned and hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an object of pride forever,
A joy from generation to generation.
16
“You will suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations
And suck the breast (abundance) of kings;
Then you will recognize and know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17
“Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And [instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers,
And righteousness your rulers.
18
“Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise [to God].
19
“The sun will no longer be your light by day,
Nor shall the bright glow of the moon give light to you,
But the Lord will be an everlasting light for you;
And your God will be your glory and splendor.(R)
20
“Your sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning will be over.
21
“Then all your people will be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous;
They will possess the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22
“The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:10 Lit soul.
- Isaiah 58:12 Lit to dwell.
- Isaiah 58:13 The ancient rabbis established strict limits for travel on the Sabbath, excepting unintentional violations and religious errands. This verse became a rabbinic proof text to rule on whether a person who had put one foot beyond the Sabbath limit for his city could reenter the city. But the Hebrew text may not refer to travel at all; turn back your foot from the Sabbath can be interpreted as an idiom referring to keeping oneself from violating the Sabbath in other ways.
- Isaiah 58:13 Lit finding.
- Isaiah 59:1 Lit dull.
- Isaiah 59:14 Lit straightforwardness.
- Isaiah 59:15 Lit was evil in His eyes.
- Isaiah 59:19 Or Spirit.
- Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed.
- Isaiah 60:5 Lit fall upon.
- Isaiah 60:13 The specific kinds of trees are uncertain.
Isaiah 58-60
New International Version
Isaiah 58-60
New International Version
True Fasting
58 “Shout it aloud,(A) do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.(B)
Declare to my people their rebellion(C)
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(D)
2 For day after day they seek(E) me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken(F) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near(G) them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’(H) they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(I) ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’(J)
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(K)
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(L)
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard(M) on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast(N) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(O) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(P)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(Q)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting(R) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(S)
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(T) free
and break every yoke?(U)
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry(V)
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(W)—
when you see the naked, to clothe(X) them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(Y)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(Z)
and your healing(AA) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a](AB) will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(AC)
9 Then you will call,(AD) and the Lord will answer;(AE)
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger(AF) and malicious talk,(AG)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(AH)
then your light(AI) will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.(AJ)
11 The Lord will guide(AK) you always;
he will satisfy your needs(AL) in a sun-scorched land(AM)
and will strengthen(AN) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(AO)
like a spring(AP) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(AQ)
and will raise up the age-old foundations;(AR)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(AS)
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(AT)
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(AU)
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(AV)
14 then you will find your joy(AW) in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(AX) of the land
and to feast on the inheritance(AY) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(AZ)
Sin, Confession and Redemption
59 Surely the arm(BA) of the Lord is not too short(BB) to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(BC)
2 But your iniquities have separated(BD)
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(BE)
3 For your hands are stained with blood,(BF)
your fingers with guilt.(BG)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(BH)
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;(BI)
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(BJ) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(BK)
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(BL)
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers(BM)
and spin a spider’s web.(BN)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(BO)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence(BP) are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.(BQ)
They pursue evil schemes;(BR)
acts of violence mark their ways.(BS)
8 The way of peace they do not know;(BT)
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(BU)
no one who walks along them will know peace.(BV)
9 So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(BW)
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(BX) we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(BY) as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.(BZ)
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.(CA)
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses(CB) are many in your sight,
and our sins testify(CC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:(CD)
13 rebellion(CE) and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs(CF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(CG)
uttering lies(CH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(CI) is driven back,
and righteousness(CJ) stands at a distance;
truth(CK) has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(CL) is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.(CM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(CN)
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(CO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(CP) for him,
and his own righteousness(CQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(CR)
and the helmet(CS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(CT) of vengeance(CU)
and wrapped himself in zeal(CV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay(CW)
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands(CX) their due.
19 From the west,(CY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun,(CZ) they will revere his glory.(DA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath(DB) of the Lord drives along.[b]
20 “The Redeemer(DC) will come to Zion,(DD)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(DE)
declares the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant(DF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(DG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(DH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(DI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise,(DJ) shine, for your light(DK) has come,
and the glory(DL) of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness(DM) covers the earth
and thick darkness(DN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations(DO) will come to your light,(DP)
and kings(DQ) to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble(DR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(DS)
and your daughters(DT) are carried on the hip.(DU)
5 Then you will look and be radiant,(DV)
your heart will throb and swell with joy;(DW)
the wealth(DX) on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels(DY) will cover your land,
young camels of Midian(DZ) and Ephah.(EA)
And all from Sheba(EB) will come,
bearing gold and incense(EC)
and proclaiming the praise(ED) of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s(EE) flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(EF) on my altar,(EG)
and I will adorn my glorious temple.(EH)
8 “Who are these(EI) that fly along like clouds,(EJ)
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands(EK) look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[c](EL)
bringing(EM) your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,(EN)
to the honor(EO) of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(EP) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.(EQ)
10 “Foreigners(ER) will rebuild your walls,
and their kings(ES) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor(ET) I will show you compassion.(EU)
11 Your gates(EV) will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(EW)—
their kings(EX) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(EY) you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.(EZ)
13 “The glory of Lebanon(FA) will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(FB)
to adorn my sanctuary;(FC)
and I will glorify the place for my feet.(FD)
14 The children of your oppressors(FE) will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down(FF) at your feet
and will call you the City(FG) of the Lord,
Zion(FH) of the Holy One(FI) of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken(FJ) and hated,
with no one traveling(FK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(FL)
and the joy(FM) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed(FN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(FO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(FP)
your Redeemer,(FQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(FR)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(FS)
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(FT) your governor
and well-being your ruler.(FU)
18 No longer will violence(FV) be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction(FW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(FX)
and your gates Praise.(FY)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(FZ)
and your God will be your glory.(GA)
20 Your sun(GB) will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow(GC) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(GD)
and they will possess(GE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(GF)
the work of my hands,(GG)
for the display of my splendor.(GH)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.(GI)
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”(GJ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
- Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
- Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
Amplified Bible (AMP) 
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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