Revised Isaiah Chapter 58

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Canonical Text

¹ "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
² For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
³ 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
⁶ "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
¹³ "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Synopsis

The main theme of this canonical chapter is another dialogue between the Lord and his people. The sketch is eleven verses long. The remaining three verses go to two revisions.

Revised Chapter 58 enrols eleven verses of the canonical chapter, imports fourteen more from five chapters and adopts the title, "'Come Now, Let Us Reason Together,' Says The Lord."

Outgoing Verses

12. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13-14. "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Incoming Verses

1:18-20. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; ²⁰ but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

40:27. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?

43:22-27. "Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. ²³ You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. ²⁴ You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses. ²⁵ "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. ²⁶ Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence. ²⁷ Your first father sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me.

48:8-9. You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. ⁹ For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off.

48:11. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

Revised Chapter 58

"Come Now, Let Us Reason Together," Says The Lord

¹ Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. ² For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its god. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager to have God come near them.

^40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?

^43:22 Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel. ^{First Half of 43:23} You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honored me with your sacrifices. ^{First Half of 43:24} You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. ^{Second Half of 43:23} I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. ^{Second Half of 43:24} But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.

^1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. ^43:25 I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. ^48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

^43:26 "Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence. ^43:27 Your first father sinned; your spokesmen rebelled against me. ^48:8 You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. ^48:9 For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off."

³ "Why have we fasted," they say, "and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?"

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. ⁴ Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. ⁵ Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? ⁶ Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will manifest speedily. Then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard."

⁹ Then you will call and the Lord will answer, you will cry for help and he will say: "Here am I." If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and with the malicious talk, ¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become as the noonday. ¹¹ The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

^1:19 "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; ^1:20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword," for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.