27 Bible Verses about Fasting, Practice Of

And Yahweh said unto me, - Do not pray for this people for blessing; Though they fast, I am not going to hearken unto their loud cry, and Though they offer ascending-sacrifice and meal-offering, I am not going to accept them, - For with sword and with famine and with pestilence, am, I, about to consume them.

Cry aloud, do not spare, Like a horn, lift high thy voice, - And declare To my people, heir transgression, and To the house of Jacob their sins. Yet, me - day by day, do they seek, And in the knowledge of my ways, they delight, - Like a nation that had done righteousness, And the justice of their God, had not forsaken They ask of me the just regulations, In approaching God, they delight. Wherefore have we Fasted and thou hast not seen? Humbled our soul, and thou wouldst take no note? Lo! in the day of your fast, ye take pleasure, But all your toilers, ye drive on!read more.
Lo! for strife and contention, ye fast, And to smite with the fist of lawlessness, - Ye shall not fast as to-day, To cause to be heard on high your voice! Like this, shall the fast be that I choose, A day for the son of earth to humble his soul? Is it to bow down as a rush his head, And sackcloth and ashes, to spread out? Is it, this, thou wilt call a fast, Or a day of acceptance with Yahweh? Is not, this, the fast that I must ever choose - To unbind the tight cords of lawlessness, To unloose the bands of the yoke, - and To let the crushed go free, and That every yoke, ye tear off? Is it not to break unto the hungry, thy bread, And the thrust-out oppressed, that thou bring into a home, - When thou seest one naked, that thou cover him, And from thine own flesh, shalt not hide thyself?

Then came the word of Yahweh of hosts unto me, saying: Speak thou unto all the people of the land, and unto the priests, saying, - When ye fasted and lamented in the fifth and in the seventh, even these seventy years, did ye, really fast, unto, me? And, when ye used to eat and when ye used to drink, was it not, of your own accord, ye did eat, and, of your own accord, ye did drink?read more.
Should ye not have been doing the things which Yahweh, had proclaimed, by the hand of the former prophets, while yet Jerusalem was inhabited and in peace, with her cities round about her, - and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?

And, when ye may he fasting, become not ye, as the hypocrites, of sullen countenance, - for they darken their looks, that they may appear, unto men, to be fasting: Verily, I say unto you, they are getting back their reward. But, when, thou, art fasting, anoint thy head, and, thy face, wash, - that thou do not appear, unto men, to be fasting, but to thy Father who is in secret, - and, thy Father who seeth in secret, will reward thee.

Then come near unto him the disciples of John, saying, - Wherefore do, we, and the Pharisees, fast, whereas, thy disciples, fast not? And Jesus said unto them, - Can, the sons of the bridechamber, mourn, so long as, the bridegroom, is, with them? But days will come, when the bridegroom, shall be taken from them, and, then, will they fast.

And the disciples of John and the Pharisees were fasting; and they come and say unto him - For what cause, do, the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees, fast, whereas, thy disciples, fast not? And Jesus said unto them - Is it possible for the sons of the bridechamber, while the bridegroom is with them, to be fasting? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, it is impossible, to fast. But there will come days, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and, then, they will fast, in that day.

But, they, said unto him - The disciples of John, do fast much, and, supplications, do make, - likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees; but, thine, do eat and drink! Jesus, however, said unto them - Can, ye make, the sons of the bridechamber, fast, while the bridegroom is with them? But there will come days, even when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, then, will they fast, in those days.

Now, the men of Israel, were tired out on that day, - yet had Saul bound the people by an oath, saying - Cursed, be the man that eateth food until the evening, and I be avenged upon mine enemies. So none of the people had tasted food. And, all the land, had entered into the forest, - and there was honey upon the face of the ground. So the people came into the forest, and lo! there were streams of honey, - but no man reached his hand to his mouth, because the people revered the oath.read more.
But, Jonathan, heard not his father putting the people on oath, so he reached forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honey-copse, - and brought back his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened. Then responded one from among the people, and said - With an oath, did thy father charge the people, saying - Cursed, be the man that eateth food to-day! And so the people were faint. Then said Jonathan: My father hath afflicted the land, - See, I pray you, how my own eyes have been brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more if haply the people had, eaten freely, to-day of the spoil of their enemies, which they found? for, now, would not the smiting of the Philistines have been, mighty?

But, as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I humbled, with fasting, my soul, though, my prayer, unto mine own bosom, might return:

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, - and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. Hast thou seen that Allah hath humbled himself, before me? Because he hath humbled himself before me, I will not bring in the calamity in his days, In the days of his son, will I bring in the calamity upon his house.

Then proclaimed I there a fast, by the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, - to seek of him a smooth way, for us and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

When I have humbled my soul with fasting, Then hath it turned to my reproach;

So they gathered themselves unto Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said, there, We have sinned against Yahweh. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpah.

Now, on the twenty-fourth day of this month, were the sons of Israel gathered together, with fasting and with sackcloth, having earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all the sons of the foreigner, - and stood and made confession over their own sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. So they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Yahweh their God, a fourth part of the day, - and, a fourth part, they were making confession and bowing themselves down, unto Yahweh their God.

Gird yourselves and beat the breast - ye priests, howl, ye attendants of the altar, go in and wrap yourselves for the night in sackcloth, ye attendants on my God, - for, withholden from the house of your God, are the meal-offering and the drink- offering. Hallow ye a fast, Call a solemn assembly, Gather, O elders, all the inhabitants of the land, unto the house of Yahweh your God, - and make ye outcry unto Yahweh.

Even now, therefore, urgeth Yahweh, Turn ye unto me, with all your heart, - and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation; And rend your heart, and not your garments, turn therefore, unto Yahweh your God, - for, gracious and full of compassion, is he, slow to anger, and abundant in loving- kindness, and will grieve over calamity. Who knoweth, he may turn and grieve, - and leave behind him, a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering, to Yahweh your God?read more.
Blow ye a horn, in Zion, - hallow a fast, call a solemn assembly:

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and I mourned certain days, - and continued fasting and praying, before the God of the heavens;

Then proclaimed I there a fast, by the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, - to seek of him a smooth way, for us and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to ask of the king, a band of soldiers and horsemen, to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God, is upon all who seek him, for good, But, his power and his anger, are against all who forsake him. So we fasted and sought of our God, concerning this, - and he suffered himself to be entreated by us.

So I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek him by prayer, and supplication, - with fasting, and sackcloth and ashes;

And, he, saith unto them - Because of your little faith. For, verily, I say unto you - If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, remove hence yonder; and it shall be removed, and, nothing, shall be impossible to you.

And he said unto them - This kind, by nothing, can come out, save, by prayer.

and, she, had been a widow for as long as eighty-four years, - who left not the temple, with fastings and supplications, rendering divine service night and day; -

But, they, said unto him - The disciples of John, do fast much, and, supplications, do make, - likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees; but, thine, do eat and drink!

Then, fasting and praying, and laying their hands upon them, they sent them away.

Moreover, appointing unto them by vote, in each assembly, elders, praying with fastings, they commended them unto the Lord on whom they had believed.

Unto the wife, let the husband render what is her due, and, in like manner, the wife also, unto the husband, - The wife, over her own body, hath not authority, but the husband, and, in like manner, the husband also, over his own body, hath not authority, but the wife. Be not depriving one another - unless perhaps by consent for a season, that ye may have leisure for prayer, and, again, may be together, - lest Satan be tempting you by reason of your want of self-control.

And, as they were publicly ministering unto the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said - Separate forthwith unto me, Barnabas and Saul, unto the work whereunto I have called them.