581 " Cry loudly , do not hold back ; Raise your voice like a trumpet , And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins . 2 "Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways , As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God . They ask Me for just decisions , They delight in the nearness of God .
3 'Why have we fasted and You do not see ? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice ?' Behold , on the day of your fast you find your desire , And drive hard all your workers . 4 "Behold , you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist . You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high . 5 "Is it a fast like this which I choose , a day for a man to humble himself ? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast , even an acceptable day to the Lord ? 6 "Is this not the fast which I choose , To loosen the bonds of wickedness , To undo the bands of the yoke , And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke ? 7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house ; When you see the naked , to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh ?
8 "Then your light will break out like the dawn , And your recovery will speedily spring forth ; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard . 9 "Then you will call , and the Lord will answer ; You will cry , and He will say , 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst , The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness , 10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted , Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday . 11 "And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places , And give strength to your bones ; And you will be like a watered garden , And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail . 12 "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins ; You will raise up the age-old foundations ; And you will be called the repairer of the breach , The restorer of the streets in which to dwell .
13 "If because of the sabbath , you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day , And call the sabbath a delight , the holy day of the Lord honorable , And honor it, desisting from your own ways , From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word , 14 Then you will take delight in the Lord , And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth ; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father , For the mouth of the Lord has spoken ."
