1  ^{1 h}Praise the Lord!

ⁱBlessed is the man who fears the Lord,

who ^jgreatly delights in his commandments!

2  His ^koffspring will be mighty in the land;

^lthe generation of the upright will be blessed.

3  ^mWealth and riches are in his house,

and his ⁿrighteousness endures forever.

4  Light dawns in the darkness ^ofor the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and ^prighteous.

5  It is well with the man who ^qdeals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

6  For the righteous will ^rnever be moved;

^she will be remembered forever.

7  He is not ^tafraid of bad news;

his ^uheart is firm, ^vtrusting in the Lord.

8  His heart is steady;² he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

9  He has ^wdistributed freely; he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his ^xhorn is exalted in honor.

10  The wicked man sees it and is angry;

he ^ygnashes his teeth and ^zmelts away;

^athe desire of the wicked will perish!

1  “Cry aloud; do not hold back;

^clift up your voice like a trumpet;

^ddeclare to my people their transgression,

to the house of Jacob their sins.

2  ^eYet they seek me daily

and delight to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that did righteousness

and did not forsake the judgment of their God;

they ask of me righteous judgments;

they delight to draw near to God.

3  ^f‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not?

Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’

Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure,¹

^gand oppress all your workers.

4  Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight

and to hit with a wicked fist.

Fasting like yours this day

will not make your voice to be heard on high.

5  ^hIs such the fast that I choose,

ⁱa 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?

6  “Is not this the fast that I choose:

^jto loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the straps ^kof the yoke,

to let the oppressed² go free,

and to break every yoke?

7  Is it not ^lto share your bread with the hungry

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

^mand not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

8  ⁿThen shall your light break forth like the dawn,

^oand your healing shall spring up speedily;

^pyour righteousness shall go before you;

^qthe glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

9  Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away ^rthe yoke from your midst,

^sthe pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10  ^tif you pour yourself out for the hungry

and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

ⁿthen shall your light rise in the darkness

and your gloom be as the noonday.

11  And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched places

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be ^ulike a watered garden,

like a spring of water,

whose waters do not fail.

12  ^vAnd your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to dwell in.

^l“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has ^mprepared ⁿfor those who love him”—