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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.
“When you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They make their faces look sad to show people they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.So when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.Then people will not know that you are fasting, but your Father, whom you cannot see, will see you. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
“I will tell you the kind of fast I want: Free the people you have put in prison unfairly and undo their chains. Free those to whom you are unfair and stop their hard labor.Share your food with the hungry and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes. When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours, and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.
The Lord says, “Even now, come back to me with all your heart. Fast, cry, and be sad.”Tearing your clothes is not enough to show you are sad; let your heart be broken. Come back to the Lord your God, because he is kind and shows mercy. He doesn’t become angry quickly, and he has great love. He can change his mind about doing harm.
Then I turned to the Lord God and prayed and asked him for help. To show my sadness, I fasted, put on rough cloth, and sat in ashes.
They were all worshiping the Lord and fasting for a certain time. During this time the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for which I have chosen them.”All this happened in about four hundred fifty years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.Then the people asked for a king, so God gave them Saul son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and was king for forty years.After God took him away, God made David their king. God said about him: ‘I have found in David son of Jesse the kind of man I want. He will do all I want him to do.’So God has brought Jesus, one of David’s descendants, to Israel to be its Savior, as he promised.Before Jesus came, John preached to all the people of Israel about a baptism of changed hearts and lives.When he was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ. He is coming later, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals.’“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and others who worship God, listen! The news about this salvation has been sent to us.Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders did not realize that Jesus was the Savior. They did not understand the words that the prophets wrote, which are read every Sabbath day. But they made them come true when they said Jesus was guilty.They could not find any real reason for Jesus to be put to death, but they asked Pilate to have him killed.When they had done to him all that the Scriptures had said, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.So after they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.
There by the Ahava Canal, I announced we would all fast and deny ourselves before our God. We would ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road. We had said to the king, “Our God helps everyone who obeys him, but he is very angry with all who reject him.”So we fasted and prayed to our God about our trip, and he answered our prayers.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the Lord what to do. He announced that everyone in Judah should fast during this special time of prayer to God.So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was not at war. His God gave him peace from all the countries around him.Jehoshaphat ruled over the country of Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.Jehoshaphat was good like his father Asa, and he did what the Lord said was right.But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed, and the people did not really want to follow the God of their ancestors.The other things Jehoshaphat did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written in the records of Jehu son of Hanani, which are in the book of the kings of Israel.Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made a treaty with Ahaziah king of Israel, which was a wrong thing to do.Jehoshaphat agreed with Ahaziah to build trading ships, which they built in the town of Ezion Geber.Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu from the town of Mareshah spoke against Jehoshaphat. He said, “Jehoshaphat, because you joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” The ships were wrecked so they could not sail out to trade.The people of Judah came together to ask the Lord for help; they came from every town in Judah.
When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven,
Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desertIt is written in the Scriptures: ‘He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you.’It is also written: ‘They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ ”Jesus answered, “But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ”After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he left him to wait until a better time.Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and stories about him spread all through the area.He began to teach in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read.The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:“The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairlyand to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness.”where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry.
Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the Agreement—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.
They chose elders for each church, by praying and fasting for a certain time. These elders had trusted the Lord, so Paul and Barnabas put them in the Lord’s care.
Yet when they were sick, I put on clothes of sadness and showed my sorrow by fasting. But my prayers were not answered.I acted as if they were my friends or brothers. I bowed in sadness as if I were crying for my mother.
After Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes. He put on rough cloth, fasted, and even slept in the rough cloth to show how sad and upset he was.The Lord spoke his word to Elijah the Tishbite:“I see that Ahab is now sorry for what he has done. So I will not cause the trouble to come to him during his life, but I will wait until his son is king. Then I will bring this trouble to Ahab’s family.”
Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast for a certain time, but your followers don’t?”Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
At that time I, Daniel, had been very sad for three weeks.Then he said, “Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? Soon I must go back to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come,but I must first tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one stands with me against these enemies except Michael, the angel ruling over your people.I did not eat any fancy food or meat, or drink any wine, or use any perfumed oil for three weeks.
They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted, but you didn’t see. We humbled ourselves to honor you, but you didn’t notice.’ ” But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days, and you are unfair to your workers.On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight and hit each other with your fists. You cannot do these things as you do now and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.This kind of special day is not what I want. This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done. I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness. This is what you do on your special days when you fast, but do you think this is what the Lord wants?
On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the people of Israel gathered. They fasted, and they wore rough cloth and put dust on their heads to show their sadness.You did signs and miracles against the king of Egypt, and against all his officers and all his people, because you knew how proud they were. You became as famous as you are today.You divided the sea in front of our ancestors; they walked through on dry ground. But you threw the people chasing them into the deep water, like a stone thrown into mighty waters.You led our ancestors with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire at night. It lit the way they were supposed to go.You came down to Mount Sinai and spoke from heaven to our ancestors. You gave them fair rules and true teachings, good orders and commands.You told them about your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, orders, and teachings through your servant Moses.When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought them water from the rock. You told them to enter and take over the land you had promised to give them.“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn and did not obey your commands.They refused to listen; they forgot the miracles you did for them. So they became stubborn and turned against you, choosing a leader to take them back to slavery. But you are a forgiving God. You are kind and full of mercy. You do not become angry quickly, and you have great love. So you did not leave them.Our ancestors even made an idol of a calf for themselves. They said, ‘This is your god, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ They spoke against you.“You have great mercy, so you did not leave them in the desert. The pillar of cloud guided them by day, and the pillar of fire led them at night, lighting the way they were to go.Those people whose ancestors were from Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors’ sins.
“Tell the priests and the people in the land: ‘For seventy years you fasted and cried in the fifth and seventh months, but that was not really for me.
So the Israelites met together at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord and fasted that day. They confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel served as judge of Israel at Mizpah.
Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other, unless you both agree to stay away from sexual relations for a time so you can give your time to prayer. Then come together again so Satan cannot tempt you because of a lack of self-control.
David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.
“Go and get all the Jewish people in Susa together. For my sake, fast; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my servant girls will also fast. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I die, I die.”
Call for a day when everyone fasts! Tell everyone to stop work! Bring the elders and everyone who lives in the land to the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
So Elijah got up and ate and drank. The food made him strong enough to walk for forty days and nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house at this same time—three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, there was a man standing before me wearing shining clothes.He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and has seen that you give to the poor and remembers you.
Then King Darius went back to his palace. He did not eat that night, he did not have any entertainment brought to him, and he could not sleep.
The people of Nineveh believed God. They announced that they would fast for a while, and they put on rough cloth to show their sadness. All the people in the city did this, from the most important to the least important.
Then people will not know that you are fasting, but your Father, whom you cannot see, will see you. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
Even if they fast, I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy the people of Judah with war, hunger, and terrible diseases.”
This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: “The special days when you fast in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become good, joyful, happy feasts in Judah. But you must love truth and peace.”
Yet when they were sick, I put on clothes of sadness and showed my sorrow by fasting. But my prayers were not answered.
Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem; call for a day when everyone fasts. Tell everyone to stop work.Bring the people together and make the meeting holy for the Lord. Bring together the elders, as well as the children, and even babies that still feed at their mothers’ breasts. The bridegroom should come from his room, the bride from her bedroom.
I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.
When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven,“Lord, God of heaven, you are the great God who is to be respected. You are loyal, and you keep your agreement with those who love you and obey your commands.Look and listen carefully. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. My father’s family and I have sinned against you.
This happened every year when they went up to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. Peninnah would upset Hannah until Hannah would cry and not eat anything.Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why won’t you eat? Why are you sad? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
They were all worshiping the Lord and fasting for a certain time. During this time the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for which I have chosen them.”
Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night.
The letter she wrote said: “Declare a day during which the people are to fast. Call the people together, and give Naboth a place of honor among them.
While I was saying these things in my prayer to the Lord, my God, confessing my sins and the sins of the people of Israel and praying for God’s holy hill,Gabriel came to me. (I had seen him in my last vision.) He came flying quickly to me about the time of the evening sacrifice, while I was still praying.He taught me and said to me, “Daniel, I have come to give you wisdom and to help you understand.When you first started praying, an answer was given, and I came to tell you, because God loves you very much. So think about the message and understand the vision.
They were very sad and cried and fasted until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the Lord and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle.
Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.The Israelites asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.A priest named Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before the Ark of the Agreement.) They asked, “Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?” The Lord answered, “Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”
Call for a day when everyone fasts! Tell everyone to stop work! Bring the elders and everyone who lives in the land to the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.What a terrible day it will be! The Lord’s day of judging is near, when punishment will come like a destroying attack from the Almighty.
But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
He wrote to set up these days of Purim at the chosen times. Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had sent out the order for the Jewish people, just as they had set up things for themselves and their descendants: On these two days the people should fast and cry loudly.
The Lord says, “Shout out loud. Don’t hold back. Shout out loud like a trumpet. Tell my people what they have done against their God; tell the family of Jacob about their sins.if you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands and give strength to your bones. You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry.Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins; you will rebuild their foundations. You will be known for repairing the broken places and for rebuilding the roads and houses.“You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day. You should call the Sabbath a joyful day and honor it as the Lord’s holy day. You should honor it by not doing whatever you please nor saying whatever you please on that day.Then you will find joy in the Lord, and I will carry you to the high places above the earth. I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.” The Lord has said these things.They still come every day looking for me and want to learn my ways. They act just like a nation that does what is right, that obeys the commands of its God. They ask me to judge them fairly. They want God to be near them.They say, ‘To honor you we had special days when we fasted, but you didn’t see. We humbled ourselves to honor you, but you didn’t notice.’ ” But the Lord says, “You do what pleases yourselves on these special days, and you are unfair to your workers.On these special days when you fast, you argue and fight and hit each other with your fists. You cannot do these things as you do now and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.This kind of special day is not what I want. This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done. I don’t want people just to bow their heads like a plant and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness. This is what you do on your special days when you fast, but do you think this is what the Lord wants?“I will tell you the kind of fast I want: Free the people you have put in prison unfairly and undo their chains. Free those to whom you are unfair and stop their hard labor.Share your food with the hungry and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes. When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours, and don’t refuse to help your own relatives.Then your light will shine like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your God will walk before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer. You will cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you stop making trouble for others, if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil.Jesus said to the devil, “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of him.When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went back to Galilee.He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee, in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali.Jesus did this to bring about what the prophet Isaiah had said:“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali along the sea, beyond the Jordan River. This is Galilee where the non-Jewish people live.These people who live in darkness will see a great light. They live in a place covered with the shadows of death, but a light will shine on them.”From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Change your hearts and lives, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake because they were fishermen.Jesus said, “Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.As Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus told them to come with him.Immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.Jesus went everywhere in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News about the kingdom of heaven, and healing all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some were in great pain, some had demons, some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them.Many people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the land across the Jordan River followed him.The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.’ ”
Then if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, if they will pray and seek me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.
Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, “For the past fourteen days you have been waiting and watching and not eating.Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.”
Then King Darius went back to his palace. He did not eat that night, he did not have any entertainment brought to him, and he could not sleep.The next morning King Darius got up at dawn and hurried to the lions’ den.He chose three men as supervisors over those governors, and Daniel was one of the supervisors. The supervisors were to ensure that the governors did not try to cheat the king.As he came near the den, he was worried. He called out to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God that you always worship been able to save you from the lions?”
Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.
In the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king, a fast was announced. All the people of Jerusalem and everyone who had come into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah were supposed to give up eating to honor the Lord.
Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem; call for a day when everyone fasts. Tell everyone to stop work.
When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, and covered himself with rough cloth and sat in ashes to show how upset he was.He sent this announcement through Nineveh: By command of the king and his important men: No person or animal, herd or flock, will be allowed to taste anything. Do not let them eat food or drink water.But every person and animal should be covered with rough cloth, and people should cry loudly to God. Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing harm all the time.Who knows? Maybe God will change his mind. Maybe he will stop being angry, and then we will not die.
Then Ezra left the Temple and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While Ezra was there, he did not eat or drink, because he was still sad about the unfaithfulness of the captives who had returned.
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh fasted for seven days.
On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the people of Israel gathered. They fasted, and they wore rough cloth and put dust on their heads to show their sadness.You did signs and miracles against the king of Egypt, and against all his officers and all his people, because you knew how proud they were. You became as famous as you are today.You divided the sea in front of our ancestors; they walked through on dry ground. But you threw the people chasing them into the deep water, like a stone thrown into mighty waters.You led our ancestors with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire at night. It lit the way they were supposed to go.You came down to Mount Sinai and spoke from heaven to our ancestors. You gave them fair rules and true teachings, good orders and commands.You told them about your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, orders, and teachings through your servant Moses.When they were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought them water from the rock. You told them to enter and take over the land you had promised to give them.“But our ancestors were proud and stubborn and did not obey your commands.They refused to listen; they forgot the miracles you did for them. So they became stubborn and turned against you, choosing a leader to take them back to slavery. But you are a forgiving God. You are kind and full of mercy. You do not become angry quickly, and you have great love. So you did not leave them.Our ancestors even made an idol of a calf for themselves. They said, ‘This is your god, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ They spoke against you.“You have great mercy, so you did not leave them in the desert. The pillar of cloud guided them by day, and the pillar of fire led them at night, lighting the way they were to go.Those people whose ancestors were from Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors’ sins.You gave your good Spirit to teach them. You gave them manna to eat and water when they were thirsty.You took care of them for forty years in the desert; they needed nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.“You gave them kingdoms and nations; you gave them more land. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.You made their children as many as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their ancestors to enter and take over.So their children went into the land and took over. The Canaanites lived there, but you defeated them for our ancestors. You handed over to them the Canaanites, their kings, and the people of the land. Our ancestors could do what they wanted with them.They captured strong, walled cities and fertile land. They took over houses full of good things, wells that were already dug, vineyards, olive trees, and many fruit trees. They ate until they were full and grew fat; they enjoyed your great goodness.“But they were disobedient and turned against you and ignored your teachings. Your prophets warned them to come back to you, but they killed those prophets and spoke against you.So you handed them over to their enemies, and their enemies treated them badly. But in this time of trouble our ancestors cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. You had great mercy and gave them saviors who saved them from the power of their enemies.But as soon as they had rest, they again did what was evil. So you left them to their enemies who ruled over them. When they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven. Because of your mercy, you saved them again and again.You warned them to return to your teachings, but they were proud and did not obey your commands. If someone obeys your laws, he will live, but they sinned against your laws. They were stubborn, unwilling, and disobedient.For a fourth of the day they stood where they were and read from the Book of the Teachings of the Lord their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.
I have done hard and tiring work, and many times I did not sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty, and many times I have been without food. I have been cold and without clothes.
When I went up on the mountain to receive the stone tablets, the tablets with the Agreement the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water.
Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.The Israelites asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.
The men of Israel were miserable that day because Saul had made an oath for all of them. He had said, “No one should eat food before evening and before I finish defeating my enemies. If he does, he will be cursed!” So no Israelite soldier ate food.
“When you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They make their faces look sad to show people they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.
I did not eat any fancy food or meat, or drink any wine, or use any perfumed oil for three weeks.
But you, Lord God, be kind to me so others will know you are good. Because your love is good, save me.I am poor and helpless and very sad.I am dying like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.My knees are weak from fasting, and I have grown thin.
There by the Ahava Canal, I announced we would all fast and deny ourselves before our God. We would ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.
But every person and animal should be covered with rough cloth, and people should cry loudly to God. Everyone must turn away from evil living and stop doing harm all the time.
Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
They declared a special day on which the people were to fast. And they put Naboth in a place of honor before the people.
Then the followers of John came to Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees often fast for a certain time, but your followers don’t?”Jesus answered, “The friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth over a hole in an old coat. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat, making the hole worse.Also, people never pour new wine into old leather bags. Otherwise, the bags will break, the wine will spill, and the wine bags will be ruined. But people always pour new wine into new wine bags. Then both will continue to be good.”
As the king’s order reached every area, there was great sadness and loud crying among the Jewish people. They fasted and cried out loud, and many of them lay down on rough cloth and ashes to show how sad they were.
Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the Lord what to do. He announced that everyone in Judah should fast during this special time of prayer to God.
Daniel said to the guard, “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
So the Israelites met together at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord and fasted that day. They confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel served as judge of Israel at Mizpah.The Philistines heard the Israelites were meeting at Mizpah, so the Philistine kings came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard they were coming, they were afraid.They said to Samuel, “Don’t stop praying to the Lord our God for us! Ask him to save us from the Philistines!”
At the evening sacrifice I got up from where I had shown my shame. My robe and coat were torn, and I fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God.
Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was praying in my house at this same time—three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, there was a man standing before me wearing shining clothes.
But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you gave me half of your kingdom, I would not go with you. I will not eat or drink anything in this place.The Lord commanded me not to eat or drink anything nor to return on the same road by which I came.”
Then the man said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid. Some time ago you decided to get understanding and to humble yourself before your God. Since that time God has listened to you, and I have come because of your prayers.But the prince of Persia has been fighting against me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the most important angels, came to help me, because I had been left there with the king of Persia.
As a deer thirsts for streams of water, so I thirst for you, God.My enemies’ insults make me feel as if my bones were broken. They are always saying, “Where is your God?”Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I should put my hope in God and keep praising him, my Savior and my God.I thirst for the living God. When can I go to meet with him?
I called all those people together at the canal that flows toward Ahava, where we camped for three days. I checked all the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites.So I called these leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And I called Joiarib and Elnathan, who were teachers.I sent these men to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, and told them what to say to Iddo and his relatives, who are the Temple servants in Casiphia. I sent them to bring servants to us for the Temple of our God.Our God was helping us, so Iddo’s relatives gave us Sherebiah, a wise man from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, who was the son of Israel. And they brought Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, for a total of eighteen men.And they brought to us Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews. In all there were twenty men.From the descendants of Phinehas: Gershom. From the descendants of Ithamar: Daniel. From the descendants of David: HattushThey also brought two hundred twenty of the Temple servants, a group David and the officers had set up to help the Levites. All of those men were listed by name.There by the Ahava Canal, I announced we would all fast and deny ourselves before our God. We would ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and all our possessions.I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road. We had said to the king, “Our God helps everyone who obeys him, but he is very angry with all who reject him.”So we fasted and prayed to our God about our trip, and he answered our prayers.
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil.Jesus said to the devil, “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ”So the devil left Jesus, and angels came and took care of him.
They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast for a certain time and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is still with them.But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
The Israelites asked the Lord a question. (In those days the Ark of the Agreement with God was there at Bethel.A priest named Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before the Ark of the Agreement.) They asked, “Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?” The Lord answered, “Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”
These things happened during the first year Darius son of Xerxes was king over Babylon. He was a descendant of the Medes.We have not obeyed the Lord our God or the teachings he gave us through his servants, the prophets.All the people of Israel have disobeyed your teachings and have turned away, refusing to obey you. So you brought on us the curses and promises of punishment written in the Teachings of Moses, the servant of God, because we sinned against you.“You said these things would happen to us and our leaders, and you made them happen; you brought on us a great disaster. Nothing has ever been done on earth like what was done to Jerusalem.All this disaster came to us just as it is written in the Teachings of Moses. But we have not pleaded with the Lord our God. We have not stopped sinning. We have not paid attention to your truth.The Lord was ready to bring the disaster on us, and he did it because the Lord our God is right in everything he does. But we still did not obey him.“Lord our God, you used your power and brought us out of Egypt. Because of that, your name is known even today. But we have sinned and have done wrong.Lord, you do what is right, but please do not be angry with Jerusalem, your city on your holy hill. Because of our sins and the evil things done by our ancestors, people all around insult and make fun of Jerusalem and your people.“Now, our God, hear the prayers of your servant. Listen to my prayer for help, and for your sake do good things for your holy place that is in ruins.My God, pay attention and hear me. Open your eyes and see all the terrible things that have happened to us. See how our lives have been ruined and what has happened to the city that is called by your name. We do not ask these things because we are good; instead, we ask because of your mercy.Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear us and do something! For your sake, don’t wait, because your city and your people are called by your name.”During Darius’ first year as king, I, Daniel, was reading the Scriptures. I saw that the Lord told Jeremiah that Jerusalem would be empty ruins for seventy years.While I was saying these things in my prayer to the Lord, my God, confessing my sins and the sins of the people of Israel and praying for God’s holy hill,Gabriel came to me. (I had seen him in my last vision.) He came flying quickly to me about the time of the evening sacrifice, while I was still praying.He taught me and said to me, “Daniel, I have come to give you wisdom and to help you understand.When you first started praying, an answer was given, and I came to tell you, because God loves you very much. So think about the message and understand the vision.“God has ordered four hundred ninety years for your people and your holy city for these reasons: to stop people from turning against God; to put an end to sin; to take away evil; to bring in goodness that continues forever; to bring about the vision and prophecy; and to appoint a most holy place.“Learn and understand these things. A command will come to rebuild Jerusalem. The time from this command until the appointed leader comes will be forty-nine years and four hundred thirty-four years. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a trench filled with water around it, but it will be built in times of trouble.After the four hundred thirty-four years the appointed leader will be killed; he will have nothing. The people of the leader who is to come will destroy the city and the holy place. The end of the city will come like a flood, and war will continue until the end. God has ordered that place to be completely destroyed.That leader will make firm an agreement with many people for seven years. He will stop the offerings and sacrifices after three and one-half years. A destroyer will do blasphemous things until the ordered end comes to the destroyed city.”Then I turned to the Lord God and prayed and asked him for help. To show my sadness, I fasted, put on rough cloth, and sat in ashes.
Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow, to be very sick.David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.The elders of David’s family came to him and tried to pull him up from the ground, but he refused to get up or to eat food with them.On the seventh day the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, “Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive, but he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may do something awful.”When David saw his servants whispering, he knew that the baby was dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They answered, “Yes, he is dead.”The rich man had many sheep and cattle.Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.David’s servants said to him, “Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you fasted and you cried. Now that the baby is dead, you get up and eat food.”David said, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can’t bring him back to life. Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.”
Priests, put on your rough cloth and cry to show your sadness. Servants of the altar, cry out loud. Servants of my God, keep your rough cloth on all night to show your sadness. Cry because there will be no more grain or drink offerings to offer in the Temple of your God.Call for a day when everyone fasts! Tell everyone to stop work! Bring the elders and everyone who lives in the land to the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.
When I cry and fast, they make fun of me.When I wear clothes of sadness, they joke about me.
if you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands and give strength to your bones. You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry.
When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.
I called all those people together at the canal that flows toward Ahava, where we camped for three days. I checked all the people and the priests, but I did not find any Levites.
David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the holy vest.”Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?” The Lord answered, “Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families.”
God, you are my God. I search for you. I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water.They will be killed with swords and eaten by wild dogs.But the king will rejoice in his God. All who make promises in his name will praise him, but the mouths of liars will be shut.I have seen you in the Temple and have seen your strength and glory.Because your love is better than life, I will praise you.I will praise you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in prayer to your name.I will be content as if I had eaten the best foods. My lips will sing, and my mouth will praise you.
He prayed to the Lord, “When I was still in my own country this is what I said would happen, and that is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly, and you have great love. I knew you would choose not to cause harm.
I want more than anything to be in the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. My whole being wants to be with the living God.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people.He satisfies the thirsty and fills up the hungry.
There was a prophetess, Anna, from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years.Then her husband died, and she was a widow for eighty-four years. Anna never left the Temple but worshiped God, going without food and praying day and night.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy good food and sweet drinks. Send some to people who have none, because today is a holy day to the Lord. Don’t be sad, because the joy of the Lord will make you strong.”
Then the Lord became concerned about his land and felt sorry for his people.He said to them: “I will send you grain, new wine, and olive oil, so that you will have plenty. No more will I shame you among the nations.
Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to all the Jewish people in all the empire of King Xerxes, far and near.He told them to celebrate every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar,because that was when the Jewish people got rid of their enemies. They were also to celebrate it as the month their sadness was turned to joy and their crying for the dead was turned into celebration. He told them to celebrate those days as days of joyful feasting and as a time for giving food to each other and presents to the poor.
In the church at Antioch there were these prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (also called Niger), Lucius (from the city of Cyrene), Manaen (who had grown up with Herod, the ruler), and Saul.and said, “You son of the devil! You are an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of evil tricks and lies, always trying to change the Lord’s truths into lies.Now the Lord will touch you, and you will be blind. For a time you will not be able to see anything—not even the light from the sun.” Then everything became dark for Elymas, and he walked around, trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.When the governor saw this, he believed because he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.Paul and those with him sailed from Paphos and came to Perga, in Pamphylia. There John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem.They continued their trip from Perga and went to Antioch, a city in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.After the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were read, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to Paul and Barnabas: “Brothers, if you have any message that will encourage the people, please speak.”Paul stood up, raised his hand, and said, “You Israelites and you who worship God, please listen!The God of the Israelites chose our ancestors. He made the people great during the time they lived in Egypt, and he brought them out of that country with great power.And he was patient with them for forty years in the desert.God destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the land to his people.They were all worshiping the Lord and fasting for a certain time. During this time the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do a special work for which I have chosen them.”All this happened in about four hundred fifty years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.Then the people asked for a king, so God gave them Saul son of Kish. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and was king for forty years.After God took him away, God made David their king. God said about him: ‘I have found in David son of Jesse the kind of man I want. He will do all I want him to do.’So God has brought Jesus, one of David’s descendants, to Israel to be its Savior, as he promised.Before Jesus came, John preached to all the people of Israel about a baptism of changed hearts and lives.When he was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ. He is coming later, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals.’“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and others who worship God, listen! The news about this salvation has been sent to us.Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders did not realize that Jesus was the Savior. They did not understand the words that the prophets wrote, which are read every Sabbath day. But they made them come true when they said Jesus was guilty.They could not find any real reason for Jesus to be put to death, but they asked Pilate to have him killed.When they had done to him all that the Scriptures had said, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.So after they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them out.
“You must obey God’s law about the Sabbath and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day. You should call the Sabbath a joyful day and honor it as the Lord’s holy day. You should honor it by not doing whatever you please nor saying whatever you please on that day.Then you will find joy in the Lord, and I will carry you to the high places above the earth. I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had.” The Lord has said these things.
Later the Moabites, Ammonites, and some Meunites came to start a war with Jehoshaphat.“But now here are men from Ammon, Moab, and Edom. You wouldn’t let the Israelites enter their lands when the Israelites came from Egypt. So the Israelites turned away and did not destroy them.But see how they repay us for not destroying them! They have come to force us out of your land, which you gave us as our own.Our God, punish those people. We have no power against this large army that is attacking us. We don’t know what to do, so we look to you for help.”All the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their babies, wives, and children.Then the Spirit of the Lord entered Jahaziel. (Jahaziel was Zechariah’s son. Zechariah was Benaiah’s son. Benaiah was Jeiel’s son, and Jeiel was Mattaniah’s son.) Jahaziel, a Levite and a descendant of Asaph, stood up in the meeting.He said, “Listen to me, King Jehoshaphat and all you people living in Judah and Jerusalem. The Lord says this to you: ‘Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this large army. The battle is not your battle, it is God’s.Tomorrow go down there and fight those people. They will come up through the Pass of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine that leads to the Desert of Jeruel.You won’t need to fight in this battle. Just stand strong in your places, and you will see the Lord save you. Judah and Jerusalem, don’t be afraid or discouraged, because the Lord is with you. So go out against those people tomorrow.’ ”Jehoshaphat bowed facedown on the ground. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem bowed down before the Lord and worshiped him.Then some Levites from the Kohathite and Korahite people stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voices.Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A large army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. They are already in Hazazon Tamar!” (Hazazon Tamar is also called En Gedi.)Jehoshaphat’s army went out into the Desert of Tekoa early in the morning. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem. Have faith in the Lord your God, and you will stand strong. Have faith in his prophets, and you will succeed.”Jehoshaphat listened to the people’s advice. Then he chose men to be singers to the Lord, to praise him because he is holy and wonderful. As they marched in front of the army, they said, “Thank the Lord, because his love continues forever.”As they began to sing and praise God, the Lord set ambushes for the people of Ammon, Moab, and Edom who had come to attack Judah. And they were defeated.The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the Edomites, destroying them completely. After they had killed the Edomites, they killed each other.When the men from Judah came to a place where they could see the desert, they looked at the enemy’s large army. But they only saw dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.When Jehoshaphat and his army came to take their valuables, they found many supplies, much clothing, and other valuable things. There was more than they could carry away; there was so much it took three days to gather it all.On the fourth day Jehoshaphat and his army met in the Valley of Beracah and praised the Lord. That is why that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.Then Jehoshaphat led all the men from Judah and Jerusalem back to Jerusalem. The Lord had made them happy because their enemies were defeated.They entered Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets and went to the Temple of the Lord.When all the kingdoms of the lands around them heard how the Lord had fought Israel’s enemies, they feared God.Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he decided to ask the Lord what to do. He announced that everyone in Judah should fast during this special time of prayer to God.So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was not at war. His God gave him peace from all the countries around him.
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.Daniel said to the guard, “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink.
After Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes. He put on rough cloth, fasted, and even slept in the rough cloth to show how sad and upset he was.
The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go first.”The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah.The leaders of all the tribes of Israel took their places in the meeting of the people of God. There were 400,000 soldiers with swords.The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah.Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day.The Israelites went before the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord, “Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?” The Lord answered, “Go up and fight them.” The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day.The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the Lord and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord.
Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, he was very hungry.So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.As Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus told them to come with him.Immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.Jesus went everywhere in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Good News about the kingdom of heaven, and healing all the people’s diseases and sicknesses.The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some were in great pain, some had demons, some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them.Many people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, Judea, and the land across the Jordan River followed him.The devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.”Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘A person lives not on bread alone, but by everything God says.’ ”
Call for a day when everyone fasts! Tell everyone to stop work! Bring the elders and everyone who lives in the land to the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.What a terrible day it will be! The Lord’s day of judging is near, when punishment will come like a destroying attack from the Almighty.Our food is taken away while we watch. Joy and happiness are gone from the Temple of our God.
For a fourth of the day they stood where they were and read from the Book of the Teachings of the Lord their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God.
Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow, to be very sick.David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.
Then King Darius went back to his palace. He did not eat that night, he did not have any entertainment brought to him, and he could not sleep.The next morning King Darius got up at dawn and hurried to the lions’ den.He chose three men as supervisors over those governors, and Daniel was one of the supervisors. The supervisors were to ensure that the governors did not try to cheat the king.As he came near the den, he was worried. He called out to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God that you always worship been able to save you from the lions?”Daniel answered, “O king, live forever!My God sent his angel to close the lions’ mouths. They have not hurt me, because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, O king.”King Darius was very happy and told his servants to lift Daniel out of the lions’ den. So they lifted him out and did not find any injury on him, because Daniel had trusted in his God.Then the king commanded that the men who had accused Daniel be brought to the lions’ den. They, their wives, and their children were thrown into the den. The lions grabbed them before they hit the floor of the den and crushed their bones.
where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry.
Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he was able to see again! Then Saul got up and was baptized.After he ate some food, his strength returned. Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days.
Then Ezra left the Temple and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While Ezra was there, he did not eat or drink, because he was still sad about the unfaithfulness of the captives who had returned.They sent an order in Judah and Jerusalem for all the captives who had returned to meet together in Jerusalem.Whoever did not come to Jerusalem within three days would lose his property and would no longer be a member of the community of the returned captives. That was the decision of the officers and elders.
During Cyrus’ third year as king of Persia, Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, received a vision about a great war. It was a true message that Daniel understood.Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees. I was so afraid that I was shaking.The man in the vision said to me, “Daniel, God loves you very much. Think carefully about the words I will speak to you, and stand up, because I have been sent to you.” When he said this, I stood up, but I was still shaking.Then the man said to me, “Daniel, do not be afraid. Some time ago you decided to get understanding and to humble yourself before your God. Since that time God has listened to you, and I have come because of your prayers.But the prince of Persia has been fighting against me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the most important angels, came to help me, because I had been left there with the king of Persia.Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people, because the vision is about a time in the future.”While he was speaking to me, I bowed facedown and could not speak.Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, so I opened my mouth and started to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “Master, I am upset and afraid because of what I saw in the vision. I feel helpless.Master, how can I, your servant, talk with you? My strength is gone, and it is hard for me to breathe.”The one who looked like a man touched me again and gave me strength.He said, “Daniel, don’t be afraid. God loves you very much. Peace be with you. Be strong now; be courageous.” When he spoke to me, I became stronger and said, “Master, speak, since you have given me strength.”At that time I, Daniel, had been very sad for three weeks.Then he said, “Daniel, do you know why I have come to you? Soon I must go back to fight against the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece will come,but I must first tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one stands with me against these enemies except Michael, the angel ruling over your people.I did not eat any fancy food or meat, or drink any wine, or use any perfumed oil for three weeks.
All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed.So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.
God, you are my God. I search for you. I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water.
I prayed to the Lord my God and told him about all of our sins. I said, “Lord, you are a great God who causes fear and wonder. You keep your agreement of love with all who love you and obey your commands.“But we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and turned against you, your commands, and your laws.We did not listen to your servants, the prophets, who spoke for you to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors, and all the people of the land.
They said to Jesus, “John’s followers often fast for a certain time and pray, just as the Pharisees do. But your followers eat and drink all the time.”