‘ We have gone without food,’ they say.‘ Why haven’t you noticed it? We have made ourselves suffer. Why haven’t you paid any attention to us?’“ On the day when you fast, you do as you please. You take advantage of all your workers.

他们说：‘我们禁食，你为何不看见呢？我们刻苦己心，你为何不理会呢？’看哪，你们禁食的日子仍求利益，勒逼人为你们做苦工。

“我们禁食，你为何不看呢？我们刻苦己心，你为何不理会呢？”看哪，你们禁食的时候仍追求私利，剥削为你们做苦工的人。

“我们禁食，你为何不看呢？我们刻苦己心，你为何不理会呢？”看哪，你们禁食的时候仍追求私利，剥削为你们做苦工的人。

他们说，‘我们禁食，你为什么不看呢？我们刻苦己身，你为什么不理睬呢？’我说，‘看啊，禁食之日你们仍然随心所欲，压榨你们的工人。

他们说：“为什么我们禁食，你不看呢？为什么我们刻苦己身，你不理会呢？”看哪！你们在禁食的日子，仍然追求自己喜欢作的事，欺压为你们作工的人。

于是他们问：‘我们禁食，你为什么不看；我们刻苦己心，你为什么不理会呢？’看哪！在禁食的日子里，你们实际上寻求自己所喜悦的，压迫一切为你们做工的人；

他們說：我們禁食，你為何不看見呢？我們刻苦己心，你為何不理會呢？看哪，你們禁食的日子仍求利益，勒逼人為你們做苦工。

「我們禁食，你為何不看呢？我們刻苦己心，你為何不理會呢？」看哪，你們禁食的時候仍追求私利，剝削為你們做苦工的人。

「我們禁食，你為何不看呢？我們刻苦己心，你為何不理會呢？」看哪，你們禁食的時候仍追求私利，剝削為你們做苦工的人。

他們說，『我們禁食，你為什麼不看呢？我們刻苦己身，你為什麼不理睬呢？』我說，『看啊，禁食之日你們仍然隨心所欲，壓榨你們的工人。

他們說：“為甚麼我們禁食，你不看呢？為甚麼我們刻苦己身，你不理會呢？”看哪！你們在禁食的日子，仍然追求自己喜歡作的事，欺壓為你們作工的人。

他們說：「為甚麼我們禁食，而你不看呢？為甚麼我們刻苦自己，而你不理會呢？」嘿，你們禁食的日子、仍然追求所喜歡作的事！逕自壓迫一切為你們作苦工的人！

於是他們問：『我們禁食，你為什麼不看；我們刻苦己心，你為什麼不理會呢？』看哪！在禁食的日子裡，你們實際上尋求自己所喜悅的，欺壓一切為你們做工的人；

彼曰、我禁食、爾不顧、我苦心、爾不知、何也、曰、爾禁食時、尚營己事、苛虐傭人、

彼曰、我已禁食、卑以自牧、爾不垂顧、其意何居、曰、爾雖禁食、乃縱私欲、威迫傭人。

彼曰、我儕禁食而主不視、反躬克己而主不顧、是何故歟、曰、爾曹禁食、仍求利己、且勒逼人為爾作工、

‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say,‘ and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’“ Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

‘ 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, and oppress all your workers.

‘ We have fasted before you!’ they say.‘ Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’“ I will tell you why!” I respond.“ It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.

“ Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!”“ Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.

‘ Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And oppress all your workers.

‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say,‘ and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’“ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find your own pleasure, and exact all your labors.

“ Why have we fasted, but You have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but You haven’t noticed!”“ Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers.

Wherefore have we fasted,[ say they], and thou seest not?[ wherefore] have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

They lament,‘ Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers.

‘ Why have we fasted,’ they say,‘ and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’“ Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers.

“ You have said,‘ It is useless to serve God. What do we gain by obeying his laws? And what do we get by pretending to be sad in front of the Lord?

When I weep and go without eating, they laugh at me.

Jesus told a story to some people who were sure they were right with God. They looked down on everyone else.He said to them,“ Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee. The other was a tax collector.The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed.‘ God, I thank you that I am not like other people,’ he said.‘ I am not like robbers or those who do other evil things. I am not like those who commit adultery. I am not even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week. And I give a tenth of all I get.’

If you don’t pay attention to my instruction, even your prayers are hated.

“ Ask the priests and all the people in the land a question for me. Say to them,‘ You mourned and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me?And when you were eating and drinking, weren’t you just enjoying good food for yourselves?Didn’t I tell you the same thing through the earlier prophets? That was when Jerusalem and the towns around it were at rest and enjoyed success. People lived in the Negev Desert and the western hills at that time.’ ”

Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh. He got up from his throne. He took off his royal robes. He also dressed himself in the clothing of sadness. And then he sat down in the dust.Here is the message he sent out to the people of Nineveh.“ I and my nobles give this order. Don’t let people or animals taste anything. That includes your herds and flocks. People and animals must not eat or drink anything.Let people and animals alike be covered with the clothing of sadness. All of you must call out to God with all your hearts. Stop doing what is evil. Don’t harm others.

I thought it over for a while. Then I accused the nobles and officials of breaking the law. I told them,“ You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large group of people to handle the matter.

But he answered his father,‘ Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

At that time I was very sad for three weeks.I didn’t eat any rich food. No meat or wine touched my lips. I didn’t use any lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties! You are killing cattle and sheep. You are eating their meat and drinking wine. You are saying,“ Let’s eat and drink, because tomorrow we’ll die.”

All of them had to do this. That applied to male and female slaves alike. No one was allowed to hold another Hebrew as a slave.So all the officials and people entered into this covenant. They agreed to set their male and female slaves free. They agreed not to hold them as slaves anymore. Instead, they set them free.But later they changed their minds. They took back the people they had set free. They made them slaves again.Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah.The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,“ I made a covenant with your people of long ago. I brought them out of Egypt. That is the land where they were slaves. I said,‘ Every seventh year you must set your people free. Each of you must set free all the Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. Let them serve you for six years. Then you must let them go free.’( Deuteronomy 15:12) But your people of long ago did not listen to me. They did not pay any attention to me.Recently you turned away from your sins. You did what is right in my eyes. Each of you set your Hebrew slaves free. You even made a covenant in front of me. You did it in the house where I have put my Name.But now you have turned around. You have treated my name as if it were not holy. Each of you has taken back your male and female slaves. You had set them free to go where they wished. But now you have forced them to become your slaves again.”So the Lord says,“ You have not obeyed me. You have not set your Hebrew slaves free. So now I will set you free,” announces the Lord.“ I will set you free to be destroyed by war, plague and hunger. I will make all the kingdoms on earth displeased with you.

I was angry with my people. I treated them as if they did not belong to me. I handed them over to you. And you did not show them any pity. You even placed heavy loads on their old people.

“ But then that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him.‘ Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.“ The other servant fell on his knees.‘ Give me time,’ he begged him.‘ I’ll pay it back.’“ But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison. The man would be held there until he could pay back what he owed.The other servants saw what had happened and were very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.“ Then the master called the first servant in.‘ You evil servant,’ he said.‘ I forgave all that you owed me because you begged me to.Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant just as I had mercy on you?’In anger his master handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.“ This is how my Father in heaven will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

God met with him there. Balaam said,“ I’ve prepared seven altars. On each altar I’ve offered a bull and a ram.”

Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people! Pay attention, you rulers of Israel! You hate to do what is fair. You twist everything that is right.You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others. You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”

That day is a sabbath for you. You must rest on it. You must not eat anything on that day. This is a law that will last for all time to come.

After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned because they were slaves. They also cried out to God. Their cry for help went up to him.God heard their groans. He remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“ The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. Come together for a special service. Do not eat any food. Bring a food offering to the Lord.

When they received it, they began to complain about the owner.‘ These people who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said.‘ You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.’

“ Here is a law for you that will last for all time to come. On the tenth day of the seventh month you must not eat anything. You must not do any work. It does not matter whether you are Israelites or outsiders.