Isaiah – Chapter 58

Old Testament14 Verses

1Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their wicked doings, and the house of Jacob their sins.

2For they seek me from day to day, and desire to know my ways, as a nation that hath done justice, and hath not forsaken the judgment of their God: they ask of me the judgments of justice: they are willing to approach to God.

3Why have we fasted, and thou hast not regarded: have we humbled our souls, and thou hast not taken notice? Behold in the day of your fast your own will is found, and you exact of all your debtors.

4Behold you fast for debates and strife, and strike with the fist wickedly. Do not fast as you have done until this day, to make your cry to be heard on high.

5Is this such a fast as I have chosen: for a man to afflict his soul for a day? is this it, to wind his head about like a circle, and to spread sackcloth and ashes? wilt thou call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?

6Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress, let them that are broken go free, and break asunder every burden.

7Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the needy and the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see one naked, cover him, and despise not thy own flesh.

8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy health shall speedily arise, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee up.

9Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou wilt take away the chain out of the midst of thee, and cease to stretch out the finger, and to speak that which profiteth not.

10When thou shalt pour out thy soul to the hungry, and shalt satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise up in darkness, and thy darkness shall be as the noonday.

11And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness, and deliver thy bones, and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail.

12And the places that have been desolate for ages shall be built in thee: thou shalt raise up the foundation of generation and generation: and thou shalt be called the repairer of the fences, turning the paths into rest.

13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy own will in my holy day, and call the sabbath delightful, and the holy of the Lord glorious, and glorify him, while thou dost not thy own ways, and thy own will is not found, to speak a word:

14Then shalt thou be delighted in the Lord, and I will lift thee up above the high places of the earth, and will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob thy father. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Reflection for Today

The message of Isaiah Chapter 58 unfolds within the broader narrative of judgment, comfort, and messianic hope. Catholic theology, drawing on Isaiah's prophecies are fulfilled in Christ, especially the Suffering Servant (CIC 601), sees in this chapter a call to deeper faith. The principle that God's salvation reaches to the ends of the earth guides our interpretation.

The Church Fathers, including St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. John Chrysostom, devoted themselves to explaining Scripture for the faithful. Their insights, preserved in the Church's Tradition, continue to illuminate our reading. The Catechism reminds us that "the Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord" (CIC 103).

As you engage with this chapter, bring your questions, struggles, and hopes to the text. God's Word addresses the whole person—mind, heart, and will. Through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, we receive the grace to live what we read. May this chapter strengthen your faith and deepen your love for Christ and His Church.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

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