Isaiah 58:6-14

6This is the way that I want you to fast: You must remove the chains from prisoners who should not be in prison. You must stop being cruel to the people who work for you. You must let people who are in pain go free. You must break the yoke of work that is too hard for weak people.

7Instead, share your food with hungry people. Give a place in your home to poor people who have no home. Give clothes to people who have nothing to wear. If people in your own family need help, do not refuse to help them.

8Then God's light will shine on you, like the sun's light at dawn. Very soon, your troubles will go away. The good things that you do to help others will be clear for everyone to see. And the Lord will use his great power to keep you safe.

9Then you will ask the Lord for help and he will answer you. When you call out to him, he will say, “Here I am.” But you must stop being cruel to other people. Do not accuse people, and do not say bad things about them.

10If people are hungry, share your own food with them. Help those people who are in pain. Then your help to them will be like a light that shines in a dark place. You will no longer live in darkness, but you will have light as bright as the sun at noon.

11The Lord will always be your guide. He will give you plenty to eat, even when the ground is dry. He will make your bodies strong. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water. You will be like a spring of water that never becomes dry.

12You will build again the cities which became heaps of stones a long time ago. You will build your houses on the old foundations. People will call you, “Builders who mend the walls and the streets with their houses.”

13So remember to obey the rules for the Sabbath day. That is my holy day, so do not just try to please yourselves. Enjoy the Sabbath day, and respect it as the Lord's holy day. Do not do your usual work on that day. Do not do things or speak about things, only to make yourself happy.

14If you do those things, you will be happy as you serve me, the Lord. I will give you all the things that you need. I will cause crops to grow on the land that I gave to your ancestor Jacob.’ That is the Lord's message.