Isaiah 58:5–10

⁵Is this the kind of fasting I have chosen? 

Should people humble themselves for ⸤only⸥ a day? 

Is fasting just bowing your head like a cattail 

and making your bed from sackcloth and ashes? 

Is this what you call fasting? 

Is this an acceptable day to the Lord? 

⁶This is the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

Loosen the chains of wickedness, 

untie the straps of the yoke,^a

let the oppressed go free, 

and break every yoke. 

⁷Share your food with the hungry, 

take the poor and homeless into your house, 

and cover them with clothes when you see ⸤them⸥ naked. 

Don’t refuse to help your relatives. 

⁸Then your light will break through like the dawn, 

and you will heal quickly. 

Your righteousness will go ahead of you, 

and the glory of the Lord will guard you from behind. 

⁹Then you will call, and the Lord will answer. 

You will cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am!” 

Get rid of that yoke. 

Don’t point your finger and say wicked things. 

¹⁰If you give some of your own food to ⸤feed⸥ those who are hungry 

and to satisfy ⸤the needs of⸥ those who are humble, 

then your light will rise in the dark, 

and your darkness will become as bright as the noonday sun.