Yesaya 58:5

58:5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? ¹ 

Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, ² 

bowing their heads like a reed

and stretching out ³  on sackcloth and ashes?

Is this really what you call a fast,

a day that is pleasing to the Lord?

Yesaya 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ⁴  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ⁵ 

[58:5]  ¹ tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”

[58:5]  ² tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[58:5]  ³ tn Or “making [their] bed.”

[63:15]  ⁴ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.