Esias 58

1 Cry aloud, and spare not; lift up your voice as with a trumpet, and declare to my people their sins, and to the house of Jacob their iniquities.

Raab højt, spar ikke din Strube, løft din Røst som Basunen, forkynd mit Folk dets Brøde og Jakobs Hus deres Synder!

2 They seek me day by day, and desire to know my ways, as a people that had done righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of their God: they now ask of me righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God,

Mig søger de Dag efter Dag og ønsker at kende mine Veje, som var de et Folk, der øver Retfærd, ej svigter, hvad dets Gud fandt ret. De spørger mig om Lov og Ret, de ønsker, at Gud er dem nær:

3 saying, Why have we fasted, and you regard not? [why] have we afflicted our souls, and you did not know it? Nay, in the days of your fasts you find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power you wound.

»Hvi faster vi, uden du ser os, spæger os, uden du ænser det?« Se, I driver Handel, naar I faster, og pisker paa Arbejdsflokken.

4 If you fast for quarrels and strifes, and strike the lowly with [your] fists, therefore do you fast to me as [you do] this day, so that your voice may be heard in crying?

Se, I faster til Strid og Kiv, til Hug med gudløse Næver; som I faster i Dag, er det ikke, for at eders Røst skal høres i det høje.

5 I have not chosen this fast, nor [such] a day for a man to afflict his soul; neither though you should bend down your neck as a ring, and spread under you sackcloth and ashes, neither thus shall you call a fast acceptable.

Er det Faste efter mit Sind, en Dag, da et Menneske spæger sig? At hænge med sit Hoved som Siv, at ligge i Sæk og Aske, kalder du det for Faste, en Dag, der behager HERREN?

6 I have not chosen such a fast, says the Lord; but do you loose every burden of iniquity, do you untie the knots of hard bargains, set the bruised free, and cancel every unjust account.

Nej, Faste efter mit Sind er at løse Gudløsheds Lænker, at løsne Aagets Baand, at slippe de kuede fri og sønderbryde hvert Aag,

7 Break your bread to the hungry, and lead the unsheltered poor to your house: if you see one naked, clothe [him], and you shall not disregard the relations of your own seed.

at bryde dit Brød til de sultne, bringe hjemløse Stakler i Hus, at du klæder den nøgne, du ser, ej nægter at hjælpe dine Landsmænd.

8 Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall speedily spring forth: and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall compass you.

Som Morgenrøden bryder dit Lys da frem, da læges hastigt dit Saar, foran dig vandrer din Retfærd, HERRENS Herlighed slutter Toget.

9 Then shall you cry, and God shall listen to you; while you are yet speaking he will say, Behold, I am here. If you remove from you the band, and the stretching forth of the hands, and murmuring speech;

Da svarer HERREN, naar du kalder; paa dit Raab er hans Svar: »Her er jeg!« Fjerner du Aaget fra din Midte, holder op at tale ondt og pege Fingre,

10 and [if] you give bread to the hungry from your heart, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light spring up in darkness, and your darkness [shall be] as noon-day:

rækker du den sultne dit Brød og mætter en vansmægtende Sjæl, skal dit Lys straale frem i Mørke, dit Mulm skal blive som Middag;

11 and your God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied according as your soul desires; and your bones shall be made fat, and shall be as a well-watered garden, and as a fountain [from] which the water has not failed.

HERREN skal altid lede dig, mætte din Sjæl, hvor der er goldt, og give dig nye Kræfter; du bliver som en vandrig Have, som rindende Væld, hvor Vandet aldrig svigter.

12 And your old waste desert [places] shall be built up, and your foundations shall last through all generations; and you shall be called a repairer of breaches, and you shall cause your paths between to be in peace.

Da bygges paa ældgamle Tomter, du rejser længst faldne Mure; da kaldes du »Murbrudsbøder«, »Genskaber af farbare Veje«.

13 If you turn away your foot from the sabbath, so as not to do your pleasure on the holy days, and shall call the sabbaths delightful, holy to God; [if] you shall not lift up your foot to work, nor speak a word in anger out of your mouth,

Varer du din Fod paa Sabbatten, saa du ej driver Handel paa min Helligdag, kalder du Sabbatten en Fryd, HERRENS Helligdag ærværdig, ærer den ved ikke at arbejde, holder dig fra Handel og unyttig Snak,

14 then shall you trust on the Lord; and he shall bring you up to the good places of the land, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.

da skal du frydes over HERREN; jeg lader dig færdes over Landets Høje og nyde din Fader Jakobs Eje. Thi HERRENS Mund har talet.