There near the Ahava River, I (Ezra) announced that we all should fast. {\cf2\super [53]} We should fast to make ourselves humble before our God. We wanted to ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and for all the things we owned.
Numbers 29:7 - Easy To Read Version “There will be a special meeting on the tenth day of the seventh month. During that day you must not eat any food. [354] And you must not do any work. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein: Amplified Bible - Classic Edition And you shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month a holy [summoned] assembly; [it is the great Day of Atonement, a day of humiliation] and you shall humble and abase yourselves; you shall not do any work in it. American Standard Version (1901) And on the tenth day of this seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall do no manner of work; Common English Bible The tenth day of this seventh month will be a holy occasion for you. You will deny yourselves and not do any work. Catholic Public Domain Version Likewise, the tenth day of this seventh month shall be for you holy and venerable, and you shall afflict your souls. You shall do no servile work in it. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version The tenth day also of this seventh month shall be holy and venerable unto you: and you shall afflict your souls. You shall do no servile work therein. |
There near the Ahava River, I (Ezra) announced that we all should fast. {\cf2\super [53]} We should fast to make ourselves humble before our God. We wanted to ask God for a safe trip for ourselves, our children, and for all the things we owned.
When those people were sick,\par I was sad for them.\par I showed my sadness by not eating.\par Is this what I get for praying for them?\par
So, my Master, the Lord All-Powerful, will tell the people to cry and be sad \{for their dead friends\}. People will shave their heads and wear clothes of sadness.
They went to the prophets and to the priests at the temple of the Lord All-Powerful. Those men asked them this question: “For many years we have shown our sadness for the destruction of the temple. In the fifth month of each year we have had a special time of crying and fasting. Should we continue to do this?”
What great blessings there are for the people that are sad now!\par God will comfort them.\par
No, they were not! But if all of you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will be destroyed like those people were!
They were not! But I tell you if you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will all be destroyed too!”
But we had lost much time. It was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after the Jewish day of fasting. {\cf2\super [510]} So Paul warned them,
We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross. This happened so that our sinful selves would have no power over us. And then we would not be slaves to sin.
It is my own body that I hit. I make it my slave. I do this so that I myself will not be thrown out \{by God\} after I have told other people \{about his blessings\}.