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)
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.
‘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.
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.
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?

“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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
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)
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.
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.
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)
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)

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.
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.
Nations(DO) will come to your light,(DP)
    and kings(DQ) to the brightness of your dawn.

“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)
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.
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.
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)

“Who are these(EI) that fly along like clouds,(EJ)
    like doves to their nests?
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)

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(GK) of the Sovereign Lord(GL) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(GM) me
    to proclaim good news(GN) to the poor.(GO)
He has sent me to bind up(GP) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(GQ) for the captives(GR)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[d]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(GS)
    and the day of vengeance(GT) of our God,
to comfort(GU) all who mourn,(GV)
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(GW) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(GX)
the oil(GY) of joy
    instead of mourning,(GZ)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(HA) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(HB)

They will rebuild the ancient ruins(HC)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers(HD) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests(HE) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(HF) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

Instead of your shame(HG)
    you will receive a double(HH) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(HI) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(HJ) will be yours.

“For I, the Lord, love justice;(HK)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(HL) with them.
Their descendants(HM) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(HN)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(HO) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(HP)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(HQ) like a priest,
    and as a bride(HR) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(HS) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(HT)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(HU)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(HV) shines out like the dawn,(HW)
    her salvation(HX) like a blazing torch.
The nations(HY) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(HZ)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown(IA) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,(IB)
    or name your land Desolate.(IC)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[e](ID)
    and your land Beulah[f];
for the Lord will take delight(IE) in you,
    and your land will be married.(IF)
As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(IG) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(IH) over you.

I have posted watchmen(II) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(IJ)
and give him no rest(IK) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(IL) of the earth.

The Lord has sworn(IM) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(IN)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
but those who harvest it will eat(IO) it
    and praise the Lord,(IP)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(IQ)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(IR)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(IS)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(IT) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(IU)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(IV)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(IW)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(IX)
12 They will be called(IY) the Holy People,(IZ)
    the Redeemed(JA) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(JB)

God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

63 Who is this coming from Edom,(JC)
    from Bozrah,(JD) with his garments stained crimson?(JE)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
    striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(JF)

“It is I, proclaiming victory,
    mighty to save.”(JG)

Why are your garments red,
    like those of one treading the winepress?(JH)

“I have trodden the winepress(JI) alone;
    from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(JJ) them in my anger
    and trod them down in my wrath;(JK)
their blood spattered my garments,(JL)
    and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;(JM)
    the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one(JN) to help,
    I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(JO) achieved salvation for me,
    and my own wrath sustained me.(JP)
I trampled(JQ) the nations in my anger;
    in my wrath I made them drunk(JR)
    and poured their blood(JS) on the ground.”

Praise and Prayer

I will tell of the kindnesses(JT) of the Lord,
    the deeds for which he is to be praised,
    according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(JU)
    he has done for Israel,
    according to his compassion(JV) and many kindnesses.
He said, “Surely they are my people,(JW)
    children who will be true to me”;
    and so he became their Savior.(JX)
In all their distress he too was distressed,
    and the angel(JY) of his presence(JZ) saved them.[g]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(KA) them;
    he lifted them up and carried(KB) them
    all the days of old.(KC)
10 Yet they rebelled(KD)
    and grieved his Holy Spirit.(KE)
So he turned and became their enemy(KF)
    and he himself fought(KG) against them.

11 Then his people recalled[h] the days of old,
    the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(KH)
    with the shepherd of his flock?(KI)
Where is he who set
    his Holy Spirit(KJ) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(KK) of power
    to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(KL) before them,
    to gain for himself everlasting renown,(KM)
13 who led(KN) them through the depths?(KO)
Like a horse in open country,
    they did not stumble;(KP)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
    they were given rest(KQ) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
    to make for yourself a glorious name.

15 Look down from heaven(KR) and see,
    from your lofty throne,(KS) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(KT) and your might?
    Your tenderness and compassion(KU) are withheld(KV) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(KW)
    though Abraham does not know us
    or Israel acknowledge(KX) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
    our Redeemer(KY) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(KZ) from your ways
    and harden our hearts(LA) so we do not revere(LB) you?
Return(LC) for the sake of your servants,
    the tribes that are your inheritance.(LD)
18 For a little while(LE) your people possessed your holy place,
    but now our enemies have trampled(LF) down your sanctuary.(LG)
19 We are yours from of old;
    but you have not ruled over them,
    they have not been called[i] by your name.(LH)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
  2. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
  3. Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
  4. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
  5. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  6. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
  7. Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
  8. Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
  9. Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called

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