137 Bible verses about Fasting

When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’ From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the Lord. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.And Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father Asa and did not turn away from it; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.The high places, however, were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers.As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the Book of the Kings of Israel.Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly.They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish.So the people of Judah gathered to seek the Lord, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him.

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You carefully;and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

So Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.

Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered. I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother.

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”

At that time John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.“Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come.But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince.I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.

“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had sworn to give them.But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted?

When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.

Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.

I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.

David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.

“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish!”

Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.

So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before meand said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.

And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.

so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”

“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”

Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned unanswered.

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a sacred assembly.Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.Then I said: “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.

And this went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival taunted her until she wept and would not eat.“Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning His holy mountain—while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The Lord answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.Alas for the day! For the Day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

in order to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.

“Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the Lord’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words,then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.And at once they left their nets and followed Him.Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food.So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the Lord was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah.

Blow the ram’s horn in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a sacred assembly.

When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink.Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth, with dust on their heads.You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.You led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should travel.You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.In their hunger You gave them bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had sworn to give them.But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,You in Your great compassion did not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths, and You gave them water for their thirst.For forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.You multiplied their descendants like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told their fathers to enter and possess.So their descendants went in and possessed the land; You subdued before them the Canaanites dwelling in the land. You delivered into their hands the kings and peoples of the land, to do with them as they wished.They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.So You delivered them into the hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hands of their enemies.But as soon as they had rest, they again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many times in Your compassion.You admonished them to turn back to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God.

in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

For three days he was without sight, and he did not eat or drink anything.

When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.

Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,

Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.

When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’

I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.

But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.

And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands.

Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

At that time John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so often, but Your disciples do not fast?” Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

In every province to which the king’s command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the Lord. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.

“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink.

When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the Philistinesand said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

Then the Lord became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.

At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the Lord my God,

Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me

But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.For this is what I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”

“Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God. And since the gracious hand of our God was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his sons and brothers, 18 men;also Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.from the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; from the descendants of David, HattushThey also brought 220 of the temple servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had appointed them to assist the Levites.And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The Lord answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans —and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through His servants the prophets.All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You.You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the Lord our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly.O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us.So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary.Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning His holy mountain—while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.On the seventh day the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He may even harm himself.”When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” “He is dead,” they replied.The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.“What is this you have done?” his servants asked. “While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate.”David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them.

and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,and David inquired of the Lord: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the Lord replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.They will fall to the power of the sword; they will become a portion for foxes.But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by Him will exult, for the mouths of liars will be shut.So I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory.Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands.My soul is satisfied as with the richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.

So he prayed to the Lord, saying, “O Lord, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster.

My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years,and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Then the Lord became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.And the Lord answered His people: “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and by them you will be satisfied. I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adaras the days on which the Jews gained rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?Now look, the hand of the Lord is against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me!The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.He endured their conduct for about forty years in the wilderness.And having vanquished seven nations in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’ From the descendants of this man, God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.As John was completing his course, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the Lord’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words,then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.And now, here are the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt; but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession that You gave us as an inheritance.Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast army that comes against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”Meanwhile all the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, were standing before the Lord.Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants, as he stood in the midst of the assembly.And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.Tomorrow you are to march down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.’”Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship Him.And the Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, shouting in a very loud voice.Then some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the Sea; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi). Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”Then Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the Lord and praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing: “Give thanks to the Lord, for His loving devotion endures forever.”The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an end to the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had escaped.Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies an abundance of goods and valuables —more than they could carry away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much. On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they blessed the Lord. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had made them rejoice over their enemies.So they entered Jerusalem and went into the house of the Lord with harps, lyres, and trumpets.And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the Lord. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,“Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink.

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the Lord replied.The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day.They went up and wept before the Lord until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the Lord answered, “Go up against them.”On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites.That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.And at once they left their nets and followed Him.Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.Alas for the day! For the Day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?

While they stood in their places, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God.

After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever!My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God.At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

At that instant, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and was baptized,and after taking some food, he regained his strength. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. And a proclamation was issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem.Whoever failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.”

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision. Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.“Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision concerns those days.”While he was speaking these words to me, I set my face toward the ground and became speechless.And suddenly one with the likeness of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome with anguish, and I have no strength.How can I, your servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in me.”Again the one with the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.“Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece will come.But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince.I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks were completed.

Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.

And I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments,we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, and fathers, and to all the people of the land.

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”