“ And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.

“你们禁食的时候，不可像那假冒为善的人，脸上带着愁容；因为他们把脸弄得难看，故意叫人看出他们是禁食。我实在告诉你们，他们已经得了他们的赏赐。

“你们禁食的时候，不可像那假冒为善的人，脸上带着愁容；因为他们蓬头垢面，故意让人看出他们在禁食。我实在告诉你们，他们已经得了他们的赏赐。

“你们禁食的时候，不可像那假冒为善的人，脸上带着愁容；因为他们蓬头垢面，故意让人看出他们在禁食。我实在告诉你们，他们已经得了他们的赏赐。

“你们禁食的时候，不要像伪君子那样愁眉苦脸，因为他们故意蓬头垢面，好让别人知道他们在禁食。我实在告诉你们，他们得到的赏赐不过是人的赞赏。

“你们禁食的时候，不可像伪君子那样愁眉苦脸，他们装成难看的样子，叫人看出他们在禁食。我实在告诉你们，他们已经得了他们的赏赐。

“你们禁食的时候，不要像伪善的人那样愁眉苦脸。他们装出难看的样子，好让人看出他们在禁食。我确实地告诉你们：他们已经得到了他们的报偿。

「你們禁食的時候，不可像那假冒為善的人，臉上帶着愁容；因為他們把臉弄得難看，故意叫人看出他們是禁食。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。

「你們禁食的時候，不可像那假冒為善的人，臉上帶着愁容；因為他們蓬頭垢面，故意讓人看出他們在禁食。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。

「你們禁食的時候，不可像那假冒為善的人，臉上帶着愁容；因為他們蓬頭垢面，故意讓人看出他們在禁食。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。

「你們禁食的時候，不要像偽君子那樣愁眉苦臉，因為他們故意蓬頭垢面，好讓別人知道他們在禁食。我實在告訴你們，他們得到的賞賜不過是人的讚賞。

“你們禁食的時候，不可像偽君子那樣愁眉苦臉，他們裝成難看的樣子，叫人看出他們在禁食。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。

你們禁食的時候、別像假冒為善的人帶着愁容了，因為他們把臉顯得難看，好對人顯出他們在禁食；我實在告訴你們，他們已經收到了他們的賞報了。

「你們禁食的時候，不要像偽善的人那樣愁眉苦臉。他們裝出難看的樣子，好讓人看出他們在禁食。我確實地告訴你們：他們已經得到了他們的報償。

爾禁食、勿若偽善者作憂容、彼垢面以禁食見於人、我誠語汝、彼已得其賞矣、

爾禁食時、毋若偽善作憂容、彼變色、以禁食示人、我誠告爾、彼已得其賞矣、

爾禁食禁食或作守齋下同時、毋作憂容、似偽善者、彼變顏色、為示人以己之禁食、我誠告爾、彼已得其賞、

爾齋戒時、毋戚戚然作憂色、一如虛偽者之故毀厥容、惟恐人之不知其齋戒也。吾實語爾、彼已獲其報矣。

“ When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

“ When you go without eating, do not look gloomy like those who only pretend to be holy. They make their faces look very sad. They want to show people they are fasting. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward.

“ And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

“ Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

“ Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

“ Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.

“ Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

“ When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

“ Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.

‘ We have fasted before you!’ they say.‘ Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“ I will tell you why!” I respond.“ It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.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?

I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him,“ Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”Jesus replied,“ Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

They were to ask this question of the prophets and the priests at the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:“ Should we continue to mourn and fast each summer on the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction, as we have done for so many years?”The Lord of Heaven’s Armies sent me this message in reply:“ Say to all your people and your priests,‘ During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?

“ When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.

Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.

When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do— blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked,“ Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?”

“ You have said,‘ What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?

His advisers were amazed.“ We don’t understand you,” they told him.“ While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.”

“ Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer.

We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.

But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.

My knees are weak from fasting, and I am skin and bones.

I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“ Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self control.

Cornelius replied,“ Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me.