58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? 1
Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, 2
bowing their heads like a reed
and stretching out 3 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. 4
I want you 5 to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed, 6
and to break every burdensome yoke.
58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;
he will feed you even in parched regions. 7
He will give you renewed strength, 8
and you will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring that continually produces water.
1 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
2 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
4 tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
5 tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “crushed.”
7 tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”
8 tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”