137 Bible verses about Fasting

And when you fast, do not be as the hypocrites, with sullen face, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you that they have their reward.But you in fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,so as not to appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will repay you in the open.

this is not the fast I have chosen: to open bands of wickedness, to undo thongs of the yoke, and to send out free the ones being oppressed, and that you pull off every yoke?Is it not to break your bread to the hungry, that you should bring the wandering poor ones to your house? When will you see the naked ones and cover him, and you will not hide yourself from your flesh?

Yet even now turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with wailing, a statement of Jehovah.And tear your heart, and not your clothes; and turn to Jehovah your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He has pity concerning you.

And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He hungered.

And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and holy desires, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.

And they doing service to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate both Barnabas and Saul to Me, for the work to which I have called them.Then, having fasted and prayed, and placing hands on them, they let them go.

And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast and put on sackclothes, from the greatest even to the least of them.And the word touched even to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he passed his robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.And he cried and said in Nineveh by the decree of the king and of his great ones, saying, Do not let man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them feed nor let them drink water.But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call with strength to God. And let them each man turn back from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their palms.Who knows? He may turn, and God may be moved to pity and turn back from the anger of His face, that we will not perish.And God saw their deeds, that they turned back from their evil way. And God was moved to pity of the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it.

And I called a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God, in order to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our goods.For I was ashamed to ask of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all those who seek Him for good; but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.and we fasted and prayed to our God for good. And He was pleased to hear us.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set his face to seek to Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast over all Judah.And Judah was gathered to inquire of Jehovah; also they came in to seek Jehovah from all the cities of Judah.

And it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven.

And full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the deserted place, forty days, being tried by the devil. And He ate nothing in those days, and they being ended, He afterwards hungered.

And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread and he did not drink water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

And having hand-picked elders for them in every assembly, having prayed with fastings, they committed them to the Lord into whom they had believed.

But in their sickness, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fastings; and my prayer returned to my bosom.I walked as a friend, as to my brother; as one who mourns a mother; I was bowed down mourning.

And it happened, when Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.And the Word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,Have you seen that Ahab has been humbled before Me? Because he was humbled before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days. I will bring the evil on his house in the days of his son.

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, and Your disciples do not fast?And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken from them, and then they will fast.

In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three weeks of days.I ate no desirable food, and flesh and wine did not come into my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until three weeks of days were fulfilled.

They say, Why have we fasted, and You did not see? We have afflicted our soul, and You did not know. Behold, on the day of your fast you find pleasure; and you drive all your laborers hard.Behold! You fast for strife, and for debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. Do not fast as today, to sound your voice in the heights.Is the fast I choose, a day for a man to afflict his soul? To bow his head down like a bulrush, and he spreads sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day of delight to Jehovah?

And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel were gathered with fasting and with sackcloth, and with earth on them.And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all the sons of foreign ones, and they stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers.

Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months, even those seventy years, did you truly fast to Me, even to Me?

And they were gathered to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured out before Jehovah. And they fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

Do not deprive one another, if not by agreement for a time, that you may devote yourselves to fasting and to prayer. And come together again on the same place, that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control.

But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

And I wept in the fasting of my soul, it also was to my reproach;

And David sought God for the boy. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.

Go, gather all the Jews being found in Shushan, and fast for me. And do not eat or drink three days, night or day. My maidens and I will also fast in this way. And so I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law. And if I have perished, I have perished.

Set apart a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all those living in the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah.

And all the sons of Israel went up, even all the people, and came to Beth-el, and wept. And they sat there before Jehovah, and fasted on that day until the evening, and caused burnt offerings and peace offerings to ascend before Jehovah.

My knees stumble from fasting, and my flesh grows lean from fatness.

And he rose up and ate and drank, and went in the power of that food forty days and forty nights to the mount of God, Horeb.

And Cornelius said, From the fourth day until this hour I was fasting, and the ninth hour I was praying in my house. And, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.And he said, Cornelius, your prayer was heard and your merciful deeds were remembered before God.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and diversions were not brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.

And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast and put on sackclothes, from the greatest even to the least of them.

so as not to appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will repay you in the open.

I will not hear their cry when they fast; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering I will not be pleased with them. But I will consume them by the sword, and by famine, and by the plague.

So says Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall become for joy and gladness and pleasant feasts to the house of Judah; even love truth and peace.

But in their sickness, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fastings; and my prayer returned to my bosom.

Blow a rams’ horn in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.Gather the people, sanctify the assembly, gather the elders, gather the children, and ones who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her room.

but I buffet my body and enslave it, lest having preached to others I myself might be disapproved.

And it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven.And I said, I pray, Jehovah God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those loving Him, and to keepers of His commandments,let Your ear now be attentive, and Your eyes open, so that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You today, day and night, for Your servants the sons of Israel; and confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.

And so he did year by year, as often as she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her. And she wept, and did not eat.And her husband Elkanah said to her, Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart afflicted? Am I not better to you than ten sons?

And they doing service to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate both Barnabas and Saul to Me, for the work to which I have called them.

and she was a widow of eighty four years, who did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

and we fasted and prayed to our God for good. And He was pleased to hear us.

And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.

And while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and making my cry fall before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God,and while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, touched me when I being weary in my weariness, about the time of the evening sacrifice.And he gave discernment to me and spoke with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you skill in understanding.At the beginning of your prayers the Word came forth, and I have come to declare it. For you are greatly beloved, and to discern the matter and understand the vision:

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

And all the sons of Israel went up, even all the people, and came to Beth-el, and wept. And they sat there before Jehovah, and fasted on that day until the evening, and caused burnt offerings and peace offerings to ascend before Jehovah.And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron was standing before it in those days) saying, Shall I again go out to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.

Set apart a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all those living in the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah.Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand. Yea, it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

But days will come, even when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then in those days they will fast.

in order to cause to rise these days of Purim in their set times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had caused to rise up on them, and as they caused to rise up on themselves and on their seed, the matters of the fastings and of their crying.

Call out with the throat; do not spare. Lift up your voice like the rams` horn! And declare to My people their transgressions, and their sins to the house of Jacob.Yet they seek Me day by day, and desire knowledge of My ways. As a nation that has done right, and not forsaking the judgment of their God, they ask of Me judgments of righteousness; they desire to draw near to God.They say, Why have we fasted, and You did not see? We have afflicted our soul, and You did not know. Behold, on the day of your fast you find pleasure; and you drive all your laborers hard.Behold! You fast for strife, and for debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. Do not fast as today, to sound your voice in the heights.Is the fast I choose, a day for a man to afflict his soul? To bow his head down like a bulrush, and he spreads sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day of delight to Jehovah?this is not the fast I have chosen: to open bands of wickedness, to undo thongs of the yoke, and to send out free the ones being oppressed, and that you pull off every yoke?Is it not to break your bread to the hungry, that you should bring the wandering poor ones to your house? When will you see the naked ones and cover him, and you will not hide yourself from your flesh?Then your light shall break as the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Jehovah shall gather you.Then you shall call, and Jehovah will answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Behold Me. If you put the yoke away from your midst, the sending out of the finger, and the speaking of iniquity;

Then Jesus was led up into the deserted place by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He hungered.And coming near to Him, the Tempter said, If You are the Son of God, speak that these stones may become loaves.But answering, He said, It has been written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word going out of the mouth of God.” Deut. 8:3

and My people, on whom My name is called, shall be humbled, and shall pray, and shall seek My face, and shall turn back from their evil ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

And until day was about to come on, Paul begged all to receive a share of food, saying, Today is the fourteenth day you continued waiting in abstinence, not having taken anything.Therefore I exhort you to take of food, for this is to your deliverance, for not one hair of your head will fall.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and diversions were not brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.Then the king rose up in the dawn, in the daylight, and went in haste to the den of the lions.And when he drew near to the den, he cried with a grieved voice to Daniel. The king answered and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve constantly, is He able to deliver you from the lions?

And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken from them, and then they will fast.

For the zeal of Your house has consumed Me; and the reproaches of the ones who reproach You have fallen on Me.And I wept in the fasting of my soul, it also was to my reproach;

And it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, they called a fast before Jehovah, to all the people of Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

Blow a rams’ horn in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.

And the word touched even to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he passed his robe from him and covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.And he cried and said in Nineveh by the decree of the king and of his great ones, saying, Do not let man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them feed nor let them drink water.But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call with strength to God. And let them each man turn back from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their palms.Who knows? He may turn, and God may be moved to pity and turn back from the anger of His face, that we will not perish.

And Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he did not eat food, nor did he drink, for he mourned for the perfidy of the exiles.

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

And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel were gathered with fasting and with sackcloth, and with earth on them.And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all the sons of foreign ones, and they stood and confessed their sins and the sins of their fathers.And they stood up in their place and read in the Book of the Law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day. And a fourth part they confessed and worshiped Jehovah their God.

in hardship and toil, in sleepless nights many times, in hunger and thirst, in fastings many times, in cold and nakedness.

And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink.

When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, tablets of the covenant which Jehovah cut with you, and I remained in the mountain forty days and forty nights (I did not eat bread and I did not drink water),

And all the sons of Israel went up, even all the people, and came to Beth-el, and wept. And they sat there before Jehovah, and fasted on that day until the evening, and caused burnt offerings and peace offerings to ascend before Jehovah.And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

And the men of Israel were pressed on that day, for Saul took an oath of the people, saying, Cursed shall be the man who eats food until the evening, when I have been avenged on my enemies; and none of the people tasted food.

And when you fast, do not be as the hypocrites, with sullen face, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you that they have their reward.

I fast twice on the sabbath; I tithe things, as many as I get.

I ate no desirable food, and flesh and wine did not come into my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until three weeks of days were fulfilled.

But You, O Jehovah the Lord, work with me for Your name’s sake; deliver me because Your mercy is good.For I am an afflicted and needy one, and my heart is pierced within me.As a shadow when it stretches out, I am gone; I am shaken off like the locust.My knees stumble from fasting, and my flesh grows lean from fatness.

And I called a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God, in order to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our goods.

But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call with strength to God. And let them each man turn back from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their palms.

And Moses came into the midst of the cloud, and he went up into the mountain. And Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

They proclaimed a fast, and made Naboth to sit at the head of the people.

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, and Your disciples do not fast?And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken from them, and then they will fast.But no one puts a piece of new cloth onto an old garment. For its filling up takes away from the garment, and a worse tear takes its place.Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wineskins are burst, and the wine pours out, and the wineskins will be ruined. But they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved together.

And in every province, at the place where the king’s word and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping and wailing. Sackcloth and ashes were spread on many.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set his face to seek to Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast over all Judah.

this is not the fast I have chosen: to open bands of wickedness, to undo thongs of the yoke, and to send out free the ones being oppressed, and that you pull off every yoke?Is it not to break your bread to the hungry, that you should bring the wandering poor ones to your house? When will you see the naked ones and cover him, and you will not hide yourself from your flesh?Then your light shall break as the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Jehovah shall gather you.Then you shall call, and Jehovah will answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Behold Me. If you put the yoke away from your midst, the sending out of the finger, and the speaking of iniquity;and if you let out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the soul of the afflicted one; then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall be as the noonday.And Jehovah shall always guide you, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of waters which do not prove to be deceiving.And those who come of you shall build the wastes of old; you shall rear the foundations of generations and generations; and you shall be called, One repairing the breach, one restoring paths to live in.

And it happened, when I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven.And I said, I pray, Jehovah God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those loving Him, and to keepers of His commandments,let Your ear now be attentive, and Your eyes open, so that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You today, day and night, for Your servants the sons of Israel; and confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.Corrupting we have acted corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which You commanded Your servant Moses.I pray, remember the Word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the peoples.But if you will turn to Me and keep My commandments, and do them, though you were cast out to the limit of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to set My name there.And these are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.O Lord, I pray, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your name. And, I pray, prosper Your servant today and grant him mercy before this man. For I was cupbearer to the king.

Please, test your servants ten days. And let some of the vegetables be given to us that we may eat, and water that we may drink.

And they were gathered to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured out before Jehovah. And they fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpeh. And the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel, and the sons of Israel heard, and were afraid before the Philistines.And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to Jehovah our God for us, that He save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

And Jehovah will be jealous for His land and have pity on His people.

And at the evening offering I rose up from my fasting, and with my garment and my robe torn, I even fell on my knees and spread out my hands to Jehovah my God.

And Cornelius said, From the fourth day until this hour I was fasting, and the ninth hour I was praying in my house. And, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.

And the man of God said to the king, If you would give me the half of your house, I would not go in with you, and I will not eat bread, and I will not drink water in this place.For so He commanded me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, You shall not eat bread nor drink water, and not turn back in the way that you have come.

And he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you gave your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.But the king of the kingdom of Persia stood against me twenty-one days. But, behold, Michael, one of the first rulers, came to help me. And I remained there with the kings of Persia.

To the chief musician. A Contemplation for the sons of Korah. As the deer pants after the channels of water, so my soul pants after You, O God.My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and see the face of God?

And I gathered them to the river which runs to Ahava. And we camped there in tents three days. And I considered the people and the priests, and did not find there any of the sons of Levi.Then I sent for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah, and for Elnathan, and for Jarib, and for Elnathan, and for Nathan, and for Zechariah, and for Meshullam, head men; also for Joiarib and for Elnathan, men of understanding.And I sent them with command to Iddo, the chief of the place Casiphia, and I put in their mouth words to say to Iddo, to his brothers the temple-slaves, at the place Casiphia; that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a head man from the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen.And came Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah from the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty.And came of the temple-slaves whom David and the leaders had chosen for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty temple-slaves. All of them were called by name.And I called a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God, in order to seek from Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our goods.For I was ashamed to ask of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all those who seek Him for good; but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.and we fasted and prayed to our God for good. And He was pleased to hear us.

Then Jesus was led up into the deserted place by the Spirit, to be tempted by the devil.And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He hungered.And coming near to Him, the Tempter said, If You are the Son of God, speak that these stones may become loaves.But answering, He said, It has been written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word going out of the mouth of God.” Deut. 8:3Then the Devil takes Him to the holy city, and he sets Him on the wing of the temple.And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it has been written: “He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You on their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.” LXX-Psa. 90:11, 12; MT-Psa. 91:11, 12Jesus said to him, Again it has been written: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Deut. 6:16Again the Devil takes Him to a very high mountain, and shows to Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.And he said to Him. I will give all these things to You if, falling down, You will worship me.Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it has been written: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve Him only.” Deut. 6:13Then the Devil leaves Him. And behold! Angels came near and ministered to Him.

But they said to Him, Why do John’s disciples fast often, and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but the ones close to You eat and drink?But He said to them, You are not able to make the sons of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them.But days will come, even when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then in those days they will fast.

And the sons of Israel asked of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron was standing before it in those days) saying, Shall I again go out to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up, for tomorrow I will give him into your hand.

In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the scrolls the number of the years, which had been a Word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.And I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and holy desires, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.

And Nathan went to his house, and Jehovah struck the boy whom the former wife of Uriah had borne to David. And it became sick.And David sought God for the boy. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.And the elders of his house rose up toward him, to raise him up from the earth. But he was not willing; and he ate no bread with them.And it happened on the seventh day, the boy died. And David’s servants feared to tell him that the boy has died, for they said, Behold, while the boy was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice. And how shall we tell him that the boy had died? And he may do harm.And David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves. And David understood that the boy had died. And David said to his servants, Has the boy died? And they said, He has died.And David rose up from the earth, and bathed, and anointed. And he changed his clothing, and came into the house of Jehovah, and worshiped. And he came to his house, and commanded, and they brought bread for him; and he ate.And his servants said to him, What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept because of the living boy, yet when the boy has died, you have risen up and have eaten food?And he said, While the boy was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who knows? Jehovah may be gracious to me and the boy may stay alive.And now he has died. Why this, that I should fast? Am I able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Gird up and lament, priests. Howl, ministers of the altar. Come, pass the night in sackcloth, ministers of my God. For the food offering and the drink offering are held back from the house of your God.Set apart a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all those living in the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah.

And I said, I pray, Jehovah God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and mercy to those loving Him, and to keepers of His commandments,let Your ear now be attentive, and Your eyes open, so that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You today, day and night, for Your servants the sons of Israel; and confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.Corrupting we have acted corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which You commanded Your servant Moses.I pray, remember the Word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the peoples.But if you will turn to Me and keep My commandments, and do them, though you were cast out to the limit of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen, to set My name there.And these are Your servants and Your people whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.O Lord, I pray, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who delight to fear Your name. And, I pray, prosper Your servant today and grant him mercy before this man. For I was cupbearer to the king.

And I wept in the fasting of my soul, it also was to my reproach;I also made sackcloth my clothing, and I became a parable to them.

and if you let out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the soul of the afflicted one; then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall be as the noonday.And Jehovah shall always guide you, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of waters which do not prove to be deceiving.

And Daniel set on his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine of his drinking, and he sought of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.And God had given Daniel kindness and compassion before the chief of the eunuchs.And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has chosen your food and your drink. For why should he see your faces worse looking than the boys who are in your circle? And you would endanger my head to the king.And Daniel said to the guardian, whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,Please, test your servants ten days. And let some of the vegetables be given to us that we may eat, and water that we may drink.And let our face be seen before you, our look and the appearance of the boys who eat of the king’s food. And as you see, do so with your servants.And he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.And at the end of ten days he saw their appearance to be better and fatter of flesh than all the boys who were eating the king’s food.And it happened the guardian took away their food and the wine that they were to drink, and he gave them vegetables.

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room and shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will repay you in the open.

And I gathered them to the river which runs to Ahava. And we camped there in tents three days. And I considered the people and the priests, and did not find there any of the sons of Levi.

And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Please bring the ephod near to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.And David asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake it? And He said to him, Pursue, for overtaking you will overtake, and recovering you shall recover.

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I earnestly seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, as in a dry and weary land without water.so as I have seen you in the sanctuary, seeing Your power and Your glory.For Your loving-kindness is better than life; my lips give praise to You.So I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my palms in Your name.My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips,

And he prayed to Jehovah, and said, Please, O Jehovah, was this not my word while I was on my own land? On account of this at first I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious God and compassionate, slow to anger, and great of mercy, and One who has pity over calamity.

Taste and see that Jehovah is good; blessed is the man seeking refuge in Him.Fear Jehovah, His godly ones, for they who fear Him lack nothing.The young lions have lacked and been hungry; but they who seek Jehovah shall not lack any good.

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

Let them thank Jehovah for His mercy, and His wonders to the sons of man.He satisfies the thirsty soul, and He fills the hungry soul with good.

And there was Anna, a prophetess, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in many days, having lived seven years with a husband from her virginity;and she was a widow of eighty four years, who did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

Then he said to them, Go eat the fat, and drink of the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your refuge.

And Jehovah will be jealous for His land and have pity on His people.Yea, Jehovah will answer and say to His people, Behold, I am sending you grain, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied with it. And I will no more give you to be among the nations.

And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, near and far,to cause to rise among them to make a feast the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, year by year;as the days in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from affliction to joy, and from mourning into a good day, to make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions a man to his neighbor and gifts to the poor.

And in Antioch some among the existing assembly were prophets and teachers: both Barnabas and Simeon, the one being called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.And they doing service to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Now separate both Barnabas and Saul to Me, for the work to which I have called them.Then, having fasted and prayed, and placing hands on them, they let them go.

If you turn your foot away because of the sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy days, and call the sabbath a delight, to the holiness of Jehovah, glorifying, and glorify Him, to the holiness, away from doing your own ways, from finding your own pleasure or speaking your word;then you shall delight yourself in Jehovah. And I will cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and make you eat with the inheritance of your father Jacob. For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.

And after this it happened that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon came in, and with them from the Ammonites, to battle against Jehoshaphat.And they came in and spoke to Jehoshaphat, saying, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.And Jehoshaphat feared, and set his face to seek to Jehovah, and proclaimed a fast over all Judah.And Judah was gathered to inquire of Jehovah; also they came in to seek Jehovah from all the cities of Judah.And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, at the front of the new court,and said, O Jehovah, the God of our fathers, are not You the God in Heaven? Yea, You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is power and might; and there is none able to withstand You.Are You not our God? You dispossessed those living in this land from before Your people Israel, and have given it to the seed of Abraham, Your friend, forever;and they have lived in it, and have built in it a sanctuary to You for Your name, saying,If evil shall come upon us, whether sword, judgment, or pestilence and famine, we shall stand before this house and before You, for Your name is in this house, and shall cry to You out of our distress, and You shall hear and save.And now, behold, the sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not allow Israel to go against when they came out of the land of Egypt, (for they turned away from them and did not destroy them, )yea, behold, they are repaying us by coming in to drive us out of Your possession, that You have caused us to possess.O our God, shall You not execute judgment upon them? For there is no power in us before this great multitude that has come against us, and we do not know what we shall do; but our eyes are on You.And all Judah was standing before Jehovah, and their infants and their wives and their sons.And on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, the Spirit of Jehovah came on him in the midst of the assembly;and He said, Listen, all Judah, and the one living in Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat; so says Jehovah to you, You shall not fear and not be terrified of the face of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but it is God’s.Tomorrow, go down against them; behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them in the end of the valley, at the front of the wilderness of Jeruel.You shall not fight in this: station yourselves; stand and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; not do fear, and not be terrified; tomorrow go out before them, and Jehovah shall be with you.And Jehoshaphat bowed his nose to the earth, and all Judah and the ones living in Jerusalem fell down before Jehovah, to bow themselves to Jehovah.And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, rose to give praise to Jehovah the God of Israel with a loud voice on high.And they rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah and those living in Jerusalem. Trust in Jehovah your God, and trusting you will trust in His prophets and prosper.And he consulted with the people, and appointed singers to Jehovah, and those giving praise to His holy adornment, when going out before those armed, and said, Give thanks to Jehovah, for His mercy endures forever.And at the time they began with rejoicing and praise, Jehovah set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, that had come against Judah; and they were stricken.And the sons of Ammon stood up, and Moab, against the people of Mount Seir, to devote and destroy; and when they finished with the ones living in Seir, they helped, each man against his neighbor, to destroy.And when Judah had come to the watchtower, to the wilderness, then they turned toward the multitude; and behold, they were corpses fallen to the earth, and there was no survivor.And Jehoshaphat and his people came to plunder their plunder; and they found among them abundance,both goods and valuable things on the corpses, and they stripped off for themselves until there was no bearing it; and they were three days plundering the plunder; for it was much.And on the fourth day they gathered at the Valley of Blessing, for they blessed Jehovah there; on account of this they have called the name of that place the Valley of Blessing to this day.And they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, to go back to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them rejoice over their enemies.And they entered Jerusalem with harps and with lyres, and with trumpets, to the house of Jehovah.And there was a fear of God on all kingdoms of the lands when they heard that Jehovah had fought with the enemies of Israel.And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, and his God gave him rest all around.

And Daniel said to the guardian, whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,Please, test your servants ten days. And let some of the vegetables be given to us that we may eat, and water that we may drink.

And it happened, when Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

And they rose up and went up to Bethel and asked of God. And the sons of Israel said, Who shall go up for us at the beginning of the battle with the sons of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah, at the beginning.And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning and camped against Gibeah.And the men of Israel went to battle with Benjamin; and the men of Israel set themselves in order against them, to battle against Gibeah.And the sons of Benjamin came out from Gibeah. And on that day they destroyed twenty-two thousand to the earth in Israel.And the people, the men of Israel, made themselves strong, and again set the battle in order in the place where they set themselves on the first day.And the sons of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until the evening, and asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I again draw near to battle with the sons of my brother Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Go up against him.And the sons of Israel drew near to the sons of Benjamin on the second day.And Benjamin came out to meet them from Gibeah on the second day, and again destroyed to the earth eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel; all these were drawers of sword.And all the sons of Israel went up, even all the people, and came to Beth-el, and wept. And they sat there before Jehovah, and fasted on that day until the evening, and caused burnt offerings and peace offerings to ascend before Jehovah.

And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He hungered.And coming near to Him, the Tempter said, If You are the Son of God, speak that these stones may become loaves.But answering, He said, It has been written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every Word going out of the mouth of God.” Deut. 8:3

Then you shall call, and Jehovah will answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Behold Me. If you put the yoke away from your midst, the sending out of the finger, and the speaking of iniquity;and if you let out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the soul of the afflicted one; then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall be as the noonday.

Set apart a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the elders, all those living in the land, into the house of Jehovah your God, and cry to Jehovah.Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is at hand. Yea, it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

And he cried and said in Nineveh by the decree of the king and of his great ones, saying, Do not let man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them feed nor let them drink water.But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. And let them call with strength to God. And let them each man turn back from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their palms.Who knows? He may turn, and God may be moved to pity and turn back from the anger of His face, that we will not perish.And God saw their deeds, that they turned back from their evil way. And God was moved to pity of the evil that He had spoken to do to them, and He did not do it.

And they stood up in their place and read in the Book of the Law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day. And a fourth part they confessed and worshiped Jehovah their God.

And Nathan went to his house, and Jehovah struck the boy whom the former wife of Uriah had borne to David. And it became sick.And David sought God for the boy. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.

Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and diversions were not brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.Then the king rose up in the dawn, in the daylight, and went in haste to the den of the lions.And when he drew near to the den, he cried with a grieved voice to Daniel. The king answered and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, your God whom you serve constantly, is He able to deliver you from the lions?Then Daniel spoke with the king, O king, live forever.My God has sent His angel, and He has shut the mouths of the lions. And they have not harmed me, because in His sight innocence was found in me. And also before you, O king, I have done no harm.Then the king was exceedingly glad over him. And he commanded to bring up Daniel from the den. And Daniel was brought out of the den, and no harm was found on him, because he trusted in his God.And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had eaten the piece of Daniel. And they threw them into the lions’ den, them, their sons and their wives. And the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones before they reached to the bottom of the den.

But you in fasting, anoint your head and wash your face,

And instantly fell away from his eyes as if it were scales. And rising up, he was baptized.And taking food he was strengthened. And Saul was with the disciples in Damascus some days.

And Ezra rose up from before the house of God and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And he went there, and he did not eat food, nor did he drink, for he mourned for the perfidy of the exiles.And they passed a call throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the sons of the exile, to assemble at Jerusalem;and that whoever would not come within three days according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he would be separated from the congregation of the exiles.

Yet even now turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with wailing, a statement of Jehovah.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the thing was true, and a great conflict. And he understood the thing and had understanding of the vision.In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three weeks of days.I ate no desirable food, and flesh and wine did not come into my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until three weeks of days were fulfilled.

But everyone striving controls himself in all things. Then the ones truly that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.Therefore, so I run, as not uncertainly; so I fight, as not beating air;but I buffet my body and enslave it, lest having preached to others I myself might be disapproved.

Taste and see that Jehovah is good; blessed is the man seeking refuge in Him.

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; I earnestly seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, as in a dry and weary land without water.

And I prayed to Jehovah my God, and confessed, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome God, keeping the covenant and kindness of those who love Him, and to those who keep His commandments,we have sinned and have done iniquity and have done evilly, and we have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments.And we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

But they said to Him, Why do John’s disciples fast often, and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but the ones close to You eat and drink?