Isaiah 58:3-5

Contemporary English Version

³ You wonder why the Lord
    pays no attention
when you go without eating
    and act humble.
But on those same days
    that you give up eating,
you think only of yourselves^[a]
    and abuse your workers.
⁴ You even get angry
    and ready to fight.
No wonder God won't listen
    to your prayers!

⁵ Do you think the Lord
    wants you to give up eating
and to act as humble
    as a bent-over bush?
Or to dress in sackcloth
    and sit in ashes?
Is this really what he wants
    on a day of worship?