3 “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen?t

We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!”H

“Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast,

and oppress all your workers.u

4 You fast with contention and strife

to strike viciously with your fist.

You cannot fast as you do today,

hoping to make your voice heard on high.

5 Will the fast I choose be like this:

A day for a person to deny himself,

to bow his head like a reed,

and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?a

Will you call this a fast

and a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Isn’t this the fast I choose:

To break the chains of wickedness,b

to untie the ropes of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free,

and to tear off every yoke?c

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,d

to bring the poor and homeless into your house,

to clothe the naked when you see him,e

and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?A,f