The mountains and the hills shall break forth

before you into singing, And all the trees of the field shall clap their

hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the

cypress, And instead of the brier shall come up the

myrtle; And it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, For an everlasting sign that shall not be

cut off.

The Meaning of a Fast Day 58 Cry aloud, spare not,

Lift up thy voice like a horn,
And declare unto My people their trans-

gression,
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily,

And delight to know My ways;
As a nation that did righteousness,
And forsook not the ordinance of their God,
They ask of Me righteous ordinances,
They delight to draw near unto God.

3 'Wherefore have we fasted, and Thou seest

not?
Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and

Thou takest no knowledge?'-
Behold, in the day of your fast ye pursue

your business,
And exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and contention,

And to smite with the fist of wickedness;

Ye fast not this day
So as to make your voice to be heard on

high.
5 Is such the fast that I have chosen?

The day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush,
And to spread sackcloth and ashes under

him?
Wilt thou call this a fast,

And an acceptable day to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen?

To loose the fetters of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free,

And that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, And that thou bring the poor that are cast

out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover

him, And that thou hide not thyself from thine

own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the

morning, And thy healing shall spring forth speedily; And thy righteousness shall go before thee,

The glory of the LORD shall be thy rearward. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD will an

swer; Thou shalt cry, and He will say: 'Here I am.' If thou take away from the midst of thee the

yoke, The putting forth of the finger, and speak

ing wickedness; 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,

And satisfy the afflicted soul;
Then shall thy light rise in darkness,

And thy gloom be as the noon-day;
u And the LORD will guide thee continually,

And satisfy thy soul in drought,
And make strong thy bones;
And thou shalt be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters fail

not. 12 And they that shall be of thee shall build

the old waste places, Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many

generations; And thou shalt be called The repairer of the

breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. 13 If thou turn away thy foot because of the

sabbath,
From pursuing thy business on My holy day;
And call the sabbath a delight,
And the holy of the LORD honourable;
And shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted

ways,
Nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking

thereof; 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD, And I will make thee to ride upon the high

places of the earth,
And I will feed thee with the heritage of

Jacob thy father;
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Message of Good Tidings

61

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me;

Because the LORD hath anointed me
To bring good tidings unto the humble;
He hath sent me to bind up the broken-

hearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the eyes to them that are

bound; 2 To proclaim the year of the LORD's good

pleasure,
And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,

To give unto them a garland for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The mantle of praise for the spirit of heavi-

ness;
That they might be called terebinths of

righteousness, The planting of the LORD, wherein He might

glory.
4 And they shall build the old wastes,

They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall renew the waste cities,

The desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And aliens shall be your plowmen and your

vinedressers. 6 But ye shall be named the priests of the

LORD,
Men shall call you the ministers of our God;
Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations,

And in their splendour shall ye revel. 7 For your shame which was double, And for that they rejoiced: 'Confusion is

their portion'; Therefore in their land they shall possess

double,
Everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8 For I the LORD love justice,

I hate robbery with iniquity;
And I will give them their recompense in

truth,
And I will make an everlasting covenant with

them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the

nations,
And their offspring among the peoples;
All that see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the seed which the Lord hath

blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He hath clothed me with the garments

of salvation,
He hath covered me with the robe of vic-

tory, As a bridegroom putteth on a priestly diadem, And as a bride adorneth herself with her

jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her growth, And as the garden causeth the things that

are sown in it to spring forth; So the Lord God will cause viciory and glory To spring forth before all the nations.