True Fasting
1 The Lord says, “Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! 2 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me.”
3 The people ask, “Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?”
The Lord says to them, “The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. 4 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? 5 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that?
6 “The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.
8 “Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond.
“If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.”
The Reward for Keeping the Sabbath
13 The Lord says, “If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Ama ǂûtamahâs
1 ǃGarise ǃauǂgai ǃao tamase, xâiǁnâs khami sa domma ǃhâkhâi! Ti khoena ǁîn dīsade ǂanǂan, tsî Jakob omma ǁoren âna. 2 Xawen ge tsēkorobe ra ôa te tsî ti daoga ǂans ǃaroma ra ǃgâiaǂgao, ǁaes hîa ǂhanu-aisiba ra dīs khami tsî ǁîn di Elob ǂhanuba ǁnāxū tama hâ. Ti ǂhanu-ai ǀgoraǃgâden ge ra ǂgan, Elob ǀgūse sīs ǃaroman ge ra dâ.
3 Khoen ge ra mî: “Tare-i ǃaroma da ge ǂûtama hâ, xawe sats ge ǁnāsa mû tama hâ? Tare-i ǃaroma da ge aitsama ǃgamǃgamsen, xawe sats ge ǁnāsa mûǂan tama ge hâ i?”
ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “Mû, sadu ǂûtama hâsa du ge sadu ǃgâib ǃoa ǀgui ra dī tsî sadu sîsenaon hoana ra ǁgâiǀā. 4 Mû, ǁnâusāgus, ǃkhams tsî ǃomǂnaugus ǃaroma ǀgui du ge ǂûtama ra hâ. Nētsēkam ǂûtama hâs sadu ra dīs ge sadu domma ǀgapise ǂoaxa-ū tide. 5 Nēsa kha tita ge ǁhûi ǂûtama hâsa, tsēs ǁîs ai i khoe-e nî ǃgamǃgamsensa? Danasa ǂā-i khami ǃgamǃgam tsî ǀhaosa ǀgâi tsî tsaob ǃnâ ǁgoese? Nēsa du ǂûtama hâs ti nî ǂgai, tsēs ǃKhūb xa ūǃoahe hâs ase?
6 “Nēsa kha tita ge ǁhûi ǂûtama hâsa: Eloxoresasib khedegu hîa ǃgaeǃnon du hâga xore, ǂhanuoǃnâsib ǃnaob tsuriga xoresa, ǁgâiǀāhe hâna ǃnora kaisa tsî mâ ǃnaob hoaba khôaǁnâsa? 7 ǃÂ hân ǀkhats sa pereba nî ǀgoragu tamasa tsî hâǃkhaio ǀgâsanats sa oms tawa nî oahā-ū tamasa? ǀŌǀkhā hânats ga mû, ots kom ǁîna nî anaǀkhāo, tsî sa ǀaokhoena xu gaugausen tide.
8 “Ob ge sa ǃnâba ǁgoaǂnobos khami nî ǁhai tsî sa ǂgauǂgaus ge ǃhaese nî ǀkhī. Sa ǂHanuǂhanu-aob ge sa aiǃâ nî ǃgû, ǃKhūb ǂkhaisib ge sa ǃgâb ai nî ǃûi tsi. 9 Ots ge nî ǂgai tsîb ge ǃKhūba nî ǃeream. Huib ǃaromats ga ǂgaiǂui, ob ge ǁîba, ‘Nē ta ge a,’ ti nî mî. Sa ǁaeguba xuts ga ǃnaob ǃgommi, ǀkhunuǁnaegus tsî ǂkhaba ǃhoaǀgaub tsîna dībēo, 10 ǃâ hânats ga ǂûmā tsî ǂōǂōsib ǃnâ hân ǂhâba hui, ob ge sa ǃnâba ǃkhaenas ǃnâs tsîna nî ǀkhâuǂoaxa tsî sa ǃkhaenaba tsēǃgâǁaeb khami nî ī. 11 ǃKhūb ge hoaǁae nî ǂgaeǂgui tsi tsî sa ǂhâsiba ǃgâi xūn ǀkha nî ǀoaǀoa tsî sa ǂkhōga nî ǀgaiǀgai. ǂNâhe ra ǃhanab khamits ge nî ī, ǁgamǀaus hîa ôaǀû tamas khami. 12 Sa xūn ǀnai ge hîkākāhen ge nî omkhâihe tsîts ge ǂgui surigu ǃgaoǃgaoga nî kurukhâi. Sats ge ǂapagu di ǂganamaots ti nî ǂgaihe tsî ǁanǃnâhe nî ǃgangu dī-unu-aots ti.”
Sabbattsēsa khais ǃaroma hâ mādawa-ams
13 Sa ǂaisats ga Sabbattsēsa xu ǂgae-oa, tsî ti ǃanu tsēsa tsēdīs ǃās ǃnâ sa ǂâisa a dīo; sabbattsēsats ga ǃgâiaǂgaob ase ǃgapaǀî tsî ǃKhūb ǃanu tsēsa ǃgôasib ǃnâ ūhâ; ǁîsats ga ǃgôa, sa daob ǀguib ai ǃgûs ose, sa ǂâisa dī tamase tamas ka io, sa ǁhōgu ǀkha ǀgui ǁāxa tamase; 14 ots ge ǃKhūb ǃnâ nî ǃgâiaǂgao tsî ta ge tita ǃhūbaib di ǀgapi ǃkhaigu ai nî ǃgapi kai tsi. Sa aboxab Jakob di ǀumis ǀkha ta ge nî ǂûmā tsi, ǃKhūb go ǃhoa xui-ao.
