Isaiah 58

58“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel

of their sins!H7121H1627H2820H7311H6963H7782H5046H5971H6588H1004H3290H24032Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.H1875H3117H3117H2654H1847H1870H1471H6213H6666H5800H4941H430H7592H4941H6664H2654H7132H4303‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.H6684H7200H6031H5315H3045H3117H6685H4672H2656H5065H60924What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.H6684H7379H4683H5221H106H7562H6684H3117H6963H8085H47915You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?H6685H977H3117H120H6031H5315H3721H7218H100H3331H8242H665H7121H2088H6685H7522H3117H30686“No, this is the kind of fasting I want. Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.H6685H977H6605H2784H7562H5425H4133H92H7533H7971H2670H5423H41337Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.H6536H3899H7457H935H6041H4788H1004H7200H6174H3680H5956H13208“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.H216H1234H7837H724H6779H4120H6664H1980H6440H3519H3068H6229Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!H7121H3068H6030H7768H559H5493H8432H4133H7971H676H1696H20510Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.H6329H5315H7457H7646H6031H5315H216H2224H2822H653H667211The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.H3068H5148H8548H7646H5315H6710H2502H6106H7302H1588H4161H4325H4325H357612Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.H1129H5769H2723H6965H4146H1755H1755H7121H1443H6556H7725H5410H342713“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.H7725H7272H7676H6213H2656H6944H3117H7121H7676H6027H6918H3068H3513H3513H6213H1870H4672H2656H1696H169714Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H6026H3068H7392H1116H776H398H5159H3290H1H6310H3068H1696