Isaiah 58:2-12 (New International Version)  View In My Bible 2
For day after day they seek1 me out; they seem eager to know my
ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has
not forsaken2 the commands of its God. They ask me for just
decisions and seem eager for God to come near3 them. 3 'Why have
we fasted,'4 they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we
humbled5 ourselves, and you have not noticed?'6 "Yet on the day
of your fasting, you do as you please7 and exploit all your
workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,8 and in
striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do
today and expect your voice to be heard9 on high. 5 Is this the
kind of fast10 I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble11
himself ? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed12 and for
lying on sackcloth and ashes?13 Is that what you call a fast, a
day acceptable to the LORD? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting14
I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice15 and untie the
cords of t