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1“Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loud as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds;
confront Jacob’s family with their sin!
2They seek me day after day;
they want to know my requirements,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not reject the law of their God.
They ask me for just decrees;
they want to be near God.
3They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast?[#tn The words “they lament” are supplied in the translation for clarification.]
Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’
Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires,
you oppress your workers.
4Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls,[#tn Heb “you fast for” (so NASB); NRSV “you fast only to quarrel.”]
and fistfights.
Do not fast as you do today,
trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
5Is this really the kind of fasting I want?[#tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”]
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this really what you call a fast,
a day that is pleasing to the Lord ?
6No, this is the kind of fast I want.[#tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.]
I want you to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed,
and to break every burdensome yoke.
7I want you to share your food with the hungry[#tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”]
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.
When you see someone naked, clothe him!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!
8Then your light will shine like the sunrise;[#tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.” sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.]
your restoration will quickly arrive;
your godly behavior will go before you,
and the Lord ’s splendor will be your rear guard.
9Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;
you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’
You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you
and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
10You must actively help the hungry[#tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.]
and feed the oppressed.
Then your light will dispel the darkness,
and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.
11The Lord will continually lead you;
he will feed you even in parched regions.
He will give you renewed strength,
and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
12Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;[#tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”]
you will reestablish the ancient foundations.
You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,
the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’
13You must observe the Sabbath[#tn Lit., “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 13-14 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in v. 13), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 14.; #tn Heb “if you turn from the Sabbath your feet.”]
rather than doing anything you please on my holy day.
You must look forward to the Sabbath
and treat the Lord ’s holy day with respect.
You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities,
and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.
14Then you will find joy in your relationship to the Lord ,[#tn For a parallel use of the phrase “find joy in” (Hitpael of עָנַג [’anag] followed by the preposition עַל [’al]), see Ps 37:4.]
and I will give you great prosperity,
and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.”
Know for certain that the Lord has spoken.