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VERSES ABOUT FASTING
Fasting helps me grow closer to God and strengthens my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I try not to see it as something I do for my own benefit, but as a way to improve my walk with God. It's a voluntary choice, a time when I set aside the physical need for food to nourish my spirit. It's a special time to seek God's presence, which is why I find it helpful to fast in a quiet place where I can talk with Him alone.
The Bible talks about this too. Daniel 9:31 says, "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." It's really inspiring to see how people in the Bible sought God through fasting.
‘Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Isn’t this the fast I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? ,
Even now – this is the Lord’s declaration – turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.
So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him, “I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, , who will carry out all my will.” ‘From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Saviour, Jesus.Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.Now as John was completing his mission, he said, “Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.” ‘Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
I proclaimed a fast by the River Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, ‘The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.’So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side. Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.He walked in the ways of Asa his father; he did not turn away from it but did what was right in the Lord’s sight.However, the high places were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their ancestors. The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign from beginning to end are written in the Events of Jehu son of Hanani, which is recorded in the Book of Israel’s Kings. After this, Judah’s King Jehoshaphat made an alliance with Israel’s King Ahaziah, who was guilty of wrongdoing.Jehoshaphat formed an alliance with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber.Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you formed an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord has broken up what you have made.’ So the ships were wrecked and were not able to go to Tarshish.who gathered to seek the Lord. They even came from all the cities of Judah to seek him.
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wildernessFor it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, ,and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ , And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said: Do not test the Lord your God.’ , After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity.He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone. He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, 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 release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. , for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.
Moses was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.
When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite:‘Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, because he has humbled himself before me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.’
Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? ’ Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.He said, ‘Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince.I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.
‘Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed! ’ ‘Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person 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 this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors. 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 water. You led them with a pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by night, to illuminate the way they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions, and good statutes and commands.You revealed your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through your servant Moses. You provided bread from heaven for their hunger; you brought them water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to go in and possess the land you had sworn to give them. But our ancestors acted arrogantly; they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands.They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders which you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. , But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, and you did not abandon them.Even after they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,’ and they had committed terrible blasphemies,you did not abandon them in the wilderness because of your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey. And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.
‘Ask all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh months for these seventy years, did you really fast for me?
When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence. They fasted that day, and there they confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord.’ And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
Do not deprive one another #– #except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.
‘Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.’
Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Cornelius replied, ‘Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing stood before meand said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep.
Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth #– #from the greatest of them to the least.
so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague.’
The Lord of Armies says this: ‘The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.’
Blow the ram’s horn in Zion! Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly.Gather the people; sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; , gather the infants, even babies nursing at the breast. Let the groom leave his bedroom, and the bride her honeymoon chamber.
Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands,let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned.
Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house, her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat.‘Hannah, why are you crying? ’ her husband, Elkanah, would ask. ‘Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons? ’
As they were worshipping 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 was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.
While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God #– #while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.He gave me this explanation: ‘Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding.At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. , So consider the message and understand the vision:
They mourned, wept, and fasted until the evening for those who died by the sword #– #for Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s people, and the house of Israel.
The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.Then the Israelites enquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked, ‘Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop? ’ The Lord answered, ‘Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.’
Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Woe because of that day! For the day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty.
But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them #– #then they will fast in those days.’
in order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had established them and just as they had committed themselves and their descendants to the practices of fasting and lamentation.
‘Cry out loudly, don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Tell my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry. Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations laid long ago; you will be called the repairer of broken walls, the restorer of streets where people live.‘If you avoid desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; , then you will delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob.’ For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.They seek me day after day and delight to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgements; they delight in the nearness of God.’ ‘Why have we fasted, but you have not seen? We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed! ’ ‘Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast, and oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.Will the fast I choose be like this: A day for a person 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 I choose: To break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? , Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard. At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer; when you cry out, he will say, “Here I am.” If you get rid of the yoke among you, the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.Then Jesus told him, ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ , Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him. When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.This was to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. ,, From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea #– #for they were fishermen.‘Follow me,’ he told them, ‘and I will make you fish for people.’After he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.Immediately they left their nets and followed him.Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them.Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.Then the tempter approached him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ He answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ,
and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing.So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.’
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. ‘Daniel, servant of the living God,’ the king said, ‘has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions? ’
Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah’s cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.
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 decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No person or animal, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water.Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing.Who knows? God may turn and relent; he may turn from his burning anger so that we will not perish.
Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. He did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
Afterwards, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors. 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 water. You led them with a pillar of cloud by day, and with a pillar of fire by night, to illuminate the way they should go. You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke to them from heaven. You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions, and good statutes and commands.You revealed your holy Sabbath to them, and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction through your servant Moses. You provided bread from heaven for their hunger; you brought them water from the rock for their thirst. You told them to go in and possess the land you had sworn to give them. But our ancestors acted arrogantly; they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands.They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders which you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. , But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, and you did not abandon them.Even after they had cast an image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,’ and they had committed terrible blasphemies,you did not abandon them in the wilderness because of your great compassion. During the day the pillar of cloud never turned away from them, guiding them on their journey. And during the night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go. Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.You sent your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. You provided for them in the wilderness for forty years, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. You gave them kingdoms and peoples and established boundaries for them. They took possession of the land of King Sihon of Heshbon and of the land of King Og of Bashan. You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky and brought them to the land you told their ancestors to go in and possess.So their descendants went in and possessed the land: You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them, to do as they pleased with them.They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took possession of well-supplied houses, cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate, were filled, became prosperous, and delighted in your great goodness.But they were disobedient and rebelled against you. They flung your law behind their backs and killed your prophets who warned them in order to turn them back to you. They committed terrible blasphemies.So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. In their time of distress, they cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the power of their enemies.But as soon as they had relief, they again did what was evil in your sight. So you abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who dominated them. When they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven and rescued them many times in your compassion. You warned them to turn back to your law, but they acted arrogantly and would not obey your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, which a person will live by if he does them. They stubbornly resisted, 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 spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God.
toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.
When I went up the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant the Lord made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. I did not eat food or drink water.
The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.Then the Israelites enquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,
and the men of Israel were worn out that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath: ‘The man who eats food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies is cursed.’ So none of the troops tasted any food.
‘Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.
I proclaimed a fast by the River Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
Furthermore, both people and animals must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from his wrongdoing.
Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain, and he remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
Then John’s disciples came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? ’ Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.No one patches an old garment with unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment and makes the tear worse.And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.’
There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,
‘Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence. They fasted that day, 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 towards Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.The Israelites said to Samuel, ‘Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.’
At the evening offering, I got up from my time of humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.
Cornelius replied, ‘Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing stood before me
But the man of God replied, ‘If you were to give me half your house, I still wouldn’t go with you, and I wouldn’t eat food or drink water in this place,for this is what I was commanded by the word of the Lord: “You must not eat food or drink water or go back the way you came.” ’
‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel,’ he said to me, ‘for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but 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.I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers for the house of our God.Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah #– #a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel #– #along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,as well as Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.Gershom, from Phinehas’s descendants; Daniel, from Ithamar’s descendants; Hattush, from David’s descendants,There were also 220 of the temple servants, who had been appointed by David and the leaders for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name. I proclaimed a fast by the River Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, ‘The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.’So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.Then Jesus told him, ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ , Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.
Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but yours eat and drink.’Jesus said to them, ‘You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you?But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them #– #then they will fast in those days.’
Then the Israelites enquired of the Lord. In those days, the ark of the covenant of God was there,and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked, ‘Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop? ’ The Lord answered, ‘Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.’
In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom #– #and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him.He has carried out his words that he spoke against us and against our rulers , by bringing on us a disaster that is so great that nothing like what has been done to Jerusalem has ever been done under all of heaven.Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favour of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth.So the Lord kept the disaster in mind and brought it on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all he has done. But we have not obeyed him.Now, Lord our God #– #who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and made your name renowned as it is this day #– #we have sinned, we have acted wickedly.Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an object of ridicule to all those around us. Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake.Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion.Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name. in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy.While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the Lord my God concerning the holy mountain of my God #– #while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, reached me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.He gave me this explanation: ‘Daniel, I’ve come now to give you understanding.At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured by God. , So consider the message and understand the vision: Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city – to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to atone 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 issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One, the ruler, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with a square and a moat, but in difficult times.After those sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple , until the decreed destructionSo I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill.David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.On the seventh day the baby died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, ‘Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate.’When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, ‘Is the baby dead? ’ ‘He is dead,’ they replied.The rich man had very large flocks and herds,Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord’s house, and worshipped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.His servants asked him, ‘Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.’He answered, ‘While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, “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’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.’
Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. Come and spend the night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
and if you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry.
But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ,
I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests, but found no Levites there.
David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, ‘Bring me the ephod.’ So Abiathar brought it to him,and David asked the Lord, ‘Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them? ’ The Lord replied to him, ‘Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.’
He prayed to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled towards Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.
There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ,and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.
Then he said to them, ‘Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ ,
Then the Lord became jealous for his land and spared his people.The Lord answered his people: Look, I am about to send you grain, new wine, and fresh oil. You will be satiated with them, and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.
Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, both near and far.He ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar every yearbecause during those days the Jews gained relief from their enemies. That was the month when their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. They were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. and said, ‘You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.’ Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.’ Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said, ‘Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen!The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness;and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him, “I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, , who will carry out all my will.” ‘From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Saviour, Jesus.Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.Now as John was completing his mission, he said, “Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.” ‘Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
‘If you avoid desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honourable; if you honour it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking business; , then you will delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy 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 fight against Jehoshaphat.Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them.Look how they repay us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you gave us as an inheritance.Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you. , All Judah was standing before the Lord with their dependents, their wives, and their children.In the middle of the congregation, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel (son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants),and he said, ‘Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.Tomorrow, go 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 do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” ’ Then Jehoshaphat knelt low with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship him.Then the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel shouting loudly. People came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast number from beyond the Dead Sea and from Edom has come to fight against you; they are already in Hazazon-tamar’ (that is, En-gedi).In the morning they got up early and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they were about to go out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Hear me, Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.’Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendour of his holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: Give thanks to the Lord, for his faithful love endures for ever. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated.The Ammonites and Moabites turned against the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely annihilated them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped destroy each other. When Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the large army, but there were only corpses lying on the ground; nobody had escaped.Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to gather the plunder. They found among them an abundance of goods on the bodies and valuable items. So they stripped them until nobody could carry any more. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.They assembled in the Valley of Beracah on the fourth day, for there they blessed the Lord. Therefore, that place is still called the Valley of Beracah today. Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem turned back with Jehoshaphat their leader, returning joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord enabled them to rejoice over their enemies.So they came into Jerusalem to the Lord’s temple with harps, lyres, and trumpets.The terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.Jehoshaphat was afraid, and he resolved to seek the Lord. Then he proclaimed a fast for all Judah,Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was quiet, for his God gave him rest on every side.
So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,‘Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.
They set out, went to Bethel, and enquired of God. The Israelites asked, ‘Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites? ’ And the Lord answered, ‘Judah will be first.’In the morning, the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.The leaders of all the people and of all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: four hundred thousand armed foot soldiers.The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and slaughtered twenty-two thousand men of Israel on the field that day.But the Israelite troops rallied and again took their battle positions in the same place where they positioned themselves on the first day.They went up, wept before the Lord until evening, and enquired of him, ‘Should we again attack our brothers the Benjaminites? ’ And the Lord answered, ‘Fight against them.’On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjaminites.That same day the Benjaminites came out from Gibeah to meet them and slaughtered an additional eighteen thousand Israelites on the field; all were armed.The whole Israelite army went to Bethel where they wept and sat before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
After he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.Immediately they left their nets and followed him.Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them.Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.Then the tempter approached him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ He answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ,
Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord. Woe because of that day! For the day of the Lord is near and will come as devastation from the Almighty. Hasn’t the food been cut off before our 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 spent another quarter of the day in confession and worship of the Lord their God.
Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill.David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No diversions were brought to him, and he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.and over them three administrators, including Daniel. These satraps would be accountable to them so that the king would not be defrauded.When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. ‘Daniel, servant of the living God,’ the king said, ‘has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions? ’ Then Daniel spoke with the king: ‘May the king live for ever.My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths; and they haven’t harmed me, for I was found innocent before him. And also before you, Your Majesty, I have not done harm.’ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to take Daniel out of the den. When Daniel was brought up from the den, he was found to be unharmed, for he trusted in his God.The king then gave the command, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel , were brought and thrown into the lions’ den #– #they, their children, and their wives. They had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.
At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptised.And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time.
Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. He did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. They circulated a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather at Jerusalem.Whoever did not come within three days would forfeit all his possessions, according to the decision of the leaders and elders, and would be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
Even now – this is the Lord’s declaration – turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision. Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees.He said to me, ‘Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. , Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.’ After he said this to me, I stood trembling. ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel,’ he said to me, ‘for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.’ While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face towards the ground and was speechless.Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, ‘My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless.How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.’ Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me.He said, ‘Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong! ’ As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’ In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.He said, ‘Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince.I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.
Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown.So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air.Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord #– #the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands #– #we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances.We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.
Then they said to him, ‘John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but yours eat and drink.’