Isaiah 58:5-7

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want?

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves,

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want.

I want you to remove the sinful chains,

to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,

to set free the oppressed,

and to break every burdensome yoke.

58:7 I want you to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people.

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!

Isaiah 58:10-12

58:10 You must actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed.

Then your light will dispel the darkness,

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions.

He will give you renewed strength,

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt;

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’