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Isaiah 58-60
New King James Version
Isaiah 58-60
New King James Version
Fasting that Pleases God
58 “Cry aloud, [a]spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
(A)Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
3 ‘Why(B) have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we (C)afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’
“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And [b]exploit all your laborers.
4 (D)Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is (E)it a fast that I have chosen,
(F)A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And (G)to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To (H)loose the bonds of wickedness,
(I)To undo the [c]heavy burdens,
(J)To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not (K)to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are [d]cast out;
(L)When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from (M)your own flesh?
8 (N)Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
(O)The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The [e]pointing of the finger, and (P)speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your [f]darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
(Q)Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of [g]Streets to Dwell In.
13 “If (R)you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 (S)Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to (T)ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
(U)The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Separated from God
59 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not (V)shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will (W)not hear.
3 For (X)your hands are defiled with [h]blood,
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken lies,
Your tongue has muttered perversity.
4 No one calls for justice,
Nor does any plead for truth.
They trust in (Y)empty words and speak lies;
(Z)They conceive [i]evil and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.
6 (AA)Their webs will not become garments,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And the act of violence is in their hands.
7 (AB)Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed (AC)innocent blood;
(AD)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and (AE)destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of (AF)peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
(AG)They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.
Sin Confessed
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
Nor does righteousness overtake us;
(AH)We look for light, but there is darkness!
For brightness, but we walk in blackness!
10 (AI)We grope for the wall like the blind,
And we grope as if we had no eyes;
We stumble at noonday as at twilight;
We are as dead men in desolate places.
11 We all growl like bears,
And (AJ)moan sadly like doves;
We look for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (AK)transgressions are multiplied before You,
And our sins testify against us;
For our transgressions are with us,
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord,
And departing from our God,
Speaking oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and uttering (AL)from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Justice is turned back,
And righteousness stands afar off;
For truth is fallen in the street,
And equity cannot enter.
15 So truth fails,
And he who departs from evil makes himself a (AM)prey.
The Redeemer of Zion
Then the Lord saw it, and [j]it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
16 (AN)He saw that there was no man,
And (AO)wondered that there was no intercessor;
(AP)Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 (AQ)For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 (AR)According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay,
Fury to His adversaries,
Recompense to His enemies;
The coastlands He will fully repay.
19 (AS)So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in (AT)like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
20 “The(AU) Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.
21 “As(AV) for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
The Gentiles Bless Zion
60 Arise, (AW)shine;
For your light has come!
And (AX)the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The (AY)Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 “Lift(AZ) up your eyes all around, and see:
They all gather together, (BA)they come to you;
Your sons shall come from afar,
And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
5 Then you shall see and become radiant,
And your heart shall swell with joy;
Because (BB)the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and (BC)Ephah;
All those from (BD)Sheba shall come;
They shall bring (BE)gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of (BF)Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with (BG)acceptance on My altar,
And (BH)I will glorify the house of My glory.
8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud,
And like doves to their roosts?
9 (BI)Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
(BJ)To bring your sons from afar,
(BK)Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
(BL)Because He has glorified you.
10 “The(BM) sons of foreigners shall build up your walls,
(BN)And their kings shall minister to you;
For (BO)in My wrath I struck you,
(BP)But in My favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Therefore your gates (BQ)shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
And their kings in procession.
12 (BR)For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish,
And those nations shall be utterly ruined.
13 “The(BS) glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make (BT)the place of My feet glorious.
14 Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come (BU)bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall (BV)fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
(BW)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
So that no one went through you,
I will make you an eternal excellence,
A joy of many generations.
16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
(BX)And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that (BY)I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
Instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
I will also make your officers peace,
And your magistrates righteousness.
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land,
Neither [k]wasting nor destruction within your borders;
But you shall call (BZ)your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.
God the Glory of His People
19 “The (CA)sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And (CB)your God your glory.
20 (CC)Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 (CD)Also your people shall all be righteous;
(CE)They shall inherit the land forever,
(CF)The branch of My planting,
(CG)The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 (CH)A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:1 do not hold back
- Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard
- Isaiah 58:6 Lit. bonds of the yoke
- Isaiah 58:7 wandering
- Isaiah 58:9 Lit. sending out of
- Isaiah 58:10 Or gloom
- Isaiah 58:12 Lit. Paths
- Isaiah 59:3 bloodshed
- Isaiah 59:4 trouble
- Isaiah 59:15 Lit. it was evil in His eyes
- Isaiah 60:18 devastation
Isaiah 58-60
New International Version
Isaiah 58-60
New International Version
True Fasting
58 “Shout it aloud,(A) do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.(B)
Declare to my people their rebellion(C)
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(D)
2 For day after day they seek(E) me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken(F) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near(G) them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’(H) they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(I) ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’(J)
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(K)
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(L)
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard(M) on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast(N) I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble(O) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(P)
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(Q)
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting(R) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(S)
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(T) free
and break every yoke?(U)
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry(V)
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(W)—
when you see the naked, to clothe(X) them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(Y)
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(Z)
and your healing(AA) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a](AB) will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(AC)
9 Then you will call,(AD) and the Lord will answer;(AE)
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger(AF) and malicious talk,(AG)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(AH)
then your light(AI) will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.(AJ)
11 The Lord will guide(AK) you always;
he will satisfy your needs(AL) in a sun-scorched land(AM)
and will strengthen(AN) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(AO)
like a spring(AP) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(AQ)
and will raise up the age-old foundations;(AR)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(AS)
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(AT)
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(AU)
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(AV)
14 then you will find your joy(AW) in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(AX) of the land
and to feast on the inheritance(AY) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(AZ)
Sin, Confession and Redemption
59 Surely the arm(BA) of the Lord is not too short(BB) to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(BC)
2 But your iniquities have separated(BD)
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(BE)
3 For your hands are stained with blood,(BF)
your fingers with guilt.(BG)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(BH)
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;(BI)
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(BJ) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(BK)
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(BL)
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers(BM)
and spin a spider’s web.(BN)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(BO)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence(BP) are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.(BQ)
They pursue evil schemes;(BR)
acts of violence mark their ways.(BS)
8 The way of peace they do not know;(BT)
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(BU)
no one who walks along them will know peace.(BV)
9 So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(BW)
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(BX) we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(BY) as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.(BZ)
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.(CA)
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses(CB) are many in your sight,
and our sins testify(CC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:(CD)
13 rebellion(CE) and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs(CF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(CG)
uttering lies(CH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(CI) is driven back,
and righteousness(CJ) stands at a distance;
truth(CK) has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(CL) is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.(CM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(CN)
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(CO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(CP) for him,
and his own righteousness(CQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(CR)
and the helmet(CS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(CT) of vengeance(CU)
and wrapped himself in zeal(CV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay(CW)
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands(CX) their due.
19 From the west,(CY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun,(CZ) they will revere his glory.(DA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath(DB) of the Lord drives along.[b]
20 “The Redeemer(DC) will come to Zion,(DD)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(DE)
declares the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant(DF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(DG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(DH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(DI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise,(DJ) shine, for your light(DK) has come,
and the glory(DL) of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness(DM) covers the earth
and thick darkness(DN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations(DO) will come to your light,(DP)
and kings(DQ) to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble(DR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(DS)
and your daughters(DT) are carried on the hip.(DU)
5 Then you will look and be radiant,(DV)
your heart will throb and swell with joy;(DW)
the wealth(DX) on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels(DY) will cover your land,
young camels of Midian(DZ) and Ephah.(EA)
And all from Sheba(EB) will come,
bearing gold and incense(EC)
and proclaiming the praise(ED) of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s(EE) flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(EF) on my altar,(EG)
and I will adorn my glorious temple.(EH)
8 “Who are these(EI) that fly along like clouds,(EJ)
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands(EK) look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[c](EL)
bringing(EM) your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,(EN)
to the honor(EO) of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(EP) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.(EQ)
10 “Foreigners(ER) will rebuild your walls,
and their kings(ES) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor(ET) I will show you compassion.(EU)
11 Your gates(EV) will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(EW)—
their kings(EX) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(EY) you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.(EZ)
13 “The glory of Lebanon(FA) will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(FB)
to adorn my sanctuary;(FC)
and I will glorify the place for my feet.(FD)
14 The children of your oppressors(FE) will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down(FF) at your feet
and will call you the City(FG) of the Lord,
Zion(FH) of the Holy One(FI) of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken(FJ) and hated,
with no one traveling(FK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(FL)
and the joy(FM) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed(FN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(FO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(FP)
your Redeemer,(FQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(FR)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(FS)
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(FT) your governor
and well-being your ruler.(FU)
18 No longer will violence(FV) be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction(FW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(FX)
and your gates Praise.(FY)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(FZ)
and your God will be your glory.(GA)
20 Your sun(GB) will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow(GC) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(GD)
and they will possess(GE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(GF)
the work of my hands,(GG)
for the display of my splendor.(GH)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.(GI)
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”(GJ)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
- Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
- Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.