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

Thus says the Lord Almighty, The fourth fast, and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast, and the tenth fast, shall be to the house of Judah for joy and gladness, and for good feasts; and you shall rejoice; therefore love the truth, and peace.

And all the captains of the army, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had [thus] appointed Gedaliah; and they came to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, both Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Careah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama of the royal family came, and ten men with him, to Gedaliah to Mizpah. And they ate bread there together.

and all the Jews that were with him in Mizpah, and all the Chaldeans that were found there.

speaking to the priests that were in the house of the Lord Almighty, and to the prophets, saying, The holy offering has come in here in the fifth month, as it has done already many years.

Then the Angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord Almighty, how long will You have no mercy on Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, which You has disregarded these seventy years?

And all the land shall be a desolation; and they shall serve among the Gentiles seventy years.

And if you eat or drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?

Of what [value] to Me is the abundance of your sacrifices? Says the Lord; I am full of whole burnt offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats;

neither shall you come [with these] to appear before Me; for who has required these things at your hands? You shall no more tread My court.

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

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?

Thus let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and they may glorify your Father who is in heaven.

For assuredly I say to you, until heaven and earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle shall by no means pass away from the law until all things are fulfilled.

Whenever therefore you do charitable giving, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by men. Assuredly I say to you, they receive their reward in full.

"And whenever you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and on the streetcorners, so that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, that they receive their reward in full.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not become gloomy, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men [to be] fasting. Assuredly I say to you, that they receive their reward in full.

But all their works they do in order to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and they enlarge the borders of their garments.

He that regards the day, regards it to the Lord; and he that does not regard the day, to the Lord he does not regard it. And he that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he that does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.

For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

and He died for all, so that they who live should live no longer for themselves, but for the [One] who died for them and rose again.

And whatever you may do, work [it] from your soul, as to the Lord and not to men,