Psalm 135; Isaiah 58

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Psalm 135

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

uPraise the Lord!

Praise the name of the Lord,

give praise, O vservants of the Lord,

who nstand in the house of the Lord,

in wthe courts of the house of our God!

Praise the Lord, for xthe Lord is good;

sing to his name, yfor it is pleasant!1

For the Lord has zchosen Jacob for himself,

Israel as his aown possession.

For I know that bthe Lord is great,

and that our Lord is above all gods.

cWhatever the Lord pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth,

in the seas and all deeps.

dHe it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,

who emakes lightnings for the rain

and brings forth the wind from his fstorehouses.

He it was who gstruck down the firstborn of Egypt,

both of man and of beast;

who in your midst, O Egypt,

sent hsigns and wonders

against Pharaoh and all his servants;

10  iwho struck down many nations

and killed mighty kings,

11  jSihon, king of the Amorites,

and kOg, king of Bashan,

and lall the kingdoms of Canaan,

12  and mgave their land as a heritage,

a heritage to his people Israel.

13  nYour name, O Lord, endures forever,

oyour renown,2 O Lord, throughout all ages.

14  pFor the Lord will vindicate his people

and qhave compassion on his servants.

15  rThe idols of the nations are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

16  They have mouths, but do not speak;

they have eyes, but do not see;

17  they have ears, but do not hear,

nor is there any breath in their mouths.

18  Those who make them become like them,

so do all who trust in them.

19  sO house of Israel, bless the Lord!

O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!

20  O house of Levi, bless the Lord!

You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!

21  Blessed be the Lord tfrom Zion,

he who udwells in Jerusalem!

vPraise the Lord!


Isaiah 58

True and False Fasting

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.

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.

fWhy 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.

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.

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

13  wIf you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your pleasure3 on my holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight

and the holy day of the Lord honorable;

if you honor it, not going your own ways,

or seeking xyour own pleasure,4 or talking idly;5

14  then you shall take delight in the Lord,

yand I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;6

zI will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

afor the mouth of the Lord has spoken.