Discovery BoxIsaiah 58:5 
Context58:5 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?
Isaiah 61:3
Context61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy, 4 instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise, 5 instead of discouragement. 6
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 7
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. 8
1 tn Heb “choose” (so NASB, NRSV); NAB “wish.”
2 tn Heb “a day when man humbles himself.” The words “Do I want” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Or “making [their] bed.”
4 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
5 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
6 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
7 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
8 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
