Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord?

这样禁食岂是我所拣选、使人刻苦己心的日子吗？岂是叫人垂头像苇子，用麻布和炉灰铺在他以下吗？你这可称为禁食、为耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？

这岂是我所要的禁食，为人所用以刻苦己心的日子吗？我难道只是叫人如芦苇般低头，铺上麻布和灰烬吗？你能称此为禁食，为耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？

这岂是我所要的禁食，为人所用以刻苦己心的日子吗？我难道只是叫人如芦苇般低头，铺上麻布和灰烬吗？你能称此为禁食，为耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？

难道这是我要的禁食吗？难道刻苦己身、像芦苇一样垂着头、躺在麻布和炉灰上就是禁食吗？这就是你们所谓的禁食，所谓的蒙耶和华悦纳的日子吗？

使人刻苦自己的日子，这样的禁食是我拣选的吗？难道只是叫人垂头像一根苇子，用麻布和炉灰铺在下面吗？你可以称这是禁食，为耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？

难道这就是我所喜悦的禁食，这就是让人刻苦己心的日子吗？难道是让人像芦苇一样垂着头，以麻布和灰烬为铺吗？难道这就是你所谓的禁食，这就是耶和华所悦纳的日子吗？

這樣禁食豈是我所揀選、使人刻苦己心的日子嗎？豈是叫人垂頭像葦子，用麻布和爐灰鋪在他以下嗎？你這可稱為禁食、為耶和華所悅納的日子嗎？

這豈是我所要的禁食，為人所用以刻苦己心的日子嗎？我難道只是叫人如蘆葦般低頭，鋪上麻布和灰燼嗎？你能稱此為禁食，為耶和華所悅納的日子嗎？

這豈是我所要的禁食，為人所用以刻苦己心的日子嗎？我難道只是叫人如蘆葦般低頭，鋪上麻布和灰燼嗎？你能稱此為禁食，為耶和華所悅納的日子嗎？

難道這是我要的禁食嗎？難道刻苦己身、像蘆葦一樣垂著頭、躺在麻布和爐灰上就是禁食嗎？這就是你們所謂的禁食，所謂的蒙耶和華悅納的日子嗎？

使人刻苦自己的日子，這樣的禁食是我揀選的嗎？難道只是叫人垂頭像一根葦子，用麻布和爐灰鋪在下面嗎？你可以稱這是禁食，為耶和華所悅納的日子嗎？

我所選擇、使人刻苦自己的日子難道是這樣的禁食麼？難道只是叫人垂頭像燈心草，拿麻布和爐灰當床鋪麼？難道你要把這樣叫做禁食，作為使永恆主悅納的日子麼？我所選擇的真禁食豈不是以下這些行為：

難道這就是我所喜悅的禁食，這就是讓人刻苦己心的日子嗎？難道是讓人像蘆葦一樣垂著頭，以麻布和灰燼為鋪嗎？難道這就是你所謂的禁食，這就是耶和華所悅納的日子嗎？

我所選禁食之日、豈如是乎、令人苦其心志、俯首若蘆、以麻與灰、布於身下、此豈稱為禁食、為耶和華所悅納之日乎、

爾禁食之時、卑以自牧、屈抑若蘆、身衣麻布、坐於塗炭、我耶和華豈悅此乎。

人自刻苦、垂頭如葦、以麻布塵埃為床、如是禁食之日、豈我所悅乎、爾豈可稱為禁食乎、可視為主所悅之日乎、

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

Do you think that is the way I want you to fast? Is it only a time for people to make themselves suffer? Is it only for people to bow their heads like tall grass bent by the wind? Is it only for people to lie down in ashes and clothes of mourning? Is that what you call a fast? Do you think I can accept that?

Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?

You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?

Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD?

Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person 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?

Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah?

Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?[ is it] to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes[ under him]? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

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?

Is this the fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to humble his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh?

“ Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests:‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me— for Me?

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Thus says the Lord:“ In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said,“ O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day— to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.“ O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.“ As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day— we have sinned, we have done wickedly!“ O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate.O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

“ This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you.

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

“ Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.

Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came there, he ate no bread and drank no water, for he mourned because of the guilt of those from the captivity.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

And in every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say,‘ and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’“ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.

So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,“ See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.”