27 Bible Verses about Fasting, Practice Of
Most Relevant Verses
Jehovah said to me: Do not pray for the good of these people. Even if they go without food, I will not listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not be pleased with them. But I will destroy these people with wars, famines, and plagues.
Cry aloud! Do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram's horn. Tell my people about their rebellion and the descendants of Jacob about their sins. They seek me day by day. They delight to know my ways like a nation that has done righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask me for justice and delight. They are pleased that God is near. Why have we fasted and you do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and you do not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast you find desire, and mistreat all your workers.'read more.
You fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed (rush) and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to Jehovah? Is this not the fast I choose to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house? When you see the naked, should you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then came the word of Jehovah of Hosts to me: Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying: 'For the past seventy years did you fast for me when you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months? Did you eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?read more.
Should you hear the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities near her and the South and the lowland were inhabited?'
When you abstain from food, do not be like the hypocrites, with sad faces to be seen by men. They have received their reward. Anoint your head and wash your face. That way, men may not see that you are fasting. Your Father knows in secret and will reward you.
The disciples of John asked: Why do your disciples not fast? They frequently fasted, and so did the Pharisees. Jesus replied: Should the wedding guests mourn and also celebrate with the groom? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. They came to him and asked: Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not? Jesus replied: Will the friends of a newly married man practice fasting while he is with them? As long as they have him with them they will not go without food. But the days will come when the husband will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
They said: The disciples of John fast often and make supplications. So do the disciples of the Pharisees. But yours eat and drink. Jesus replied: Could you make the sons of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come and when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
And all the people were with Saul. There were about twenty thousand men. The fight was general through all the mountains of Ephraim. Saul made a great error that day. He put the people under an oath, saying: Let that man be cursed who eats any food before evening. I have taken vengeance on my enemies. So the people did not eat. All the people came to the forest. There was honey on the ground. The bees had gone from it. When the people entered the woods, the honey was flowing. But no one put his hand to his mouth. The people were afraid of violating their oath.read more.
Jonathan had not heard that his father forced the people to take an oath. So he stretched out the tip of the staff he had in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he put it to his mouth his eyes lit up. Then one of the people told him: Your father forced the people to take a solemn oath, saying: 'Cursed is anyone who eats food today.' That is why the people were exhausted. Jonathan answered: My father brought trouble to the country. See how my eyes lit up when I tasted a little of this honey? If only the people had eaten some of the enemies' food they found today. We would have killed more Philistines.
But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. My prayer returned unanswered.
Elijah finished speaking. Ahab tore his clothes and took them off. He dressed in sackcloth. He refused food (fasted) and slept in the sackcloth. He was gloomy and depressed. Jehovah said to the prophet Elijah: Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime. It will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family.
Then I gave orders for a time of going without food, there by the Ahava River, so that we might make ourselves low before our God in prayer, requesting from him a safe journey for us and for our little ones and for all our substance.
The Israelites gathered at Mizpah. They drew some water, poured it out in front of Jehovah and fasted that day. They confessed: We have sinned against Jehovah. So Samuel judged Israel in Mizpah.
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel came together, taking no food and putting sackcloth and dust on their bodies. The seed of Israel made themselves separate from all the men of other nations. They publicly requested forgiveness for their sins and the wrongdoing of their fathers. For a fourth part of the day, upright in their places, they read from the book of the Law of their God. For a fourth part of the day they requested forgiveness and worshipped Jehovah their God.
Gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament, you priests! Wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth you ministers of my God! The meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from the House of your God. Sanctify a fast! Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the House of Jehovah your God. Call out to Jehovah.
Even now, said Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning! Rip apart your heart, and not your garments. Turn to Jehovah your God! He is gracious and merciful. He is slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness. He will turn back from doing harm. Who knows whether he will turn back, feel regret and leave a blessing behind him, a meal offering and a drink offering to Jehovah your God?read more.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast and call a solemn assembly.
After I heard these words I sat down on the ground and cried for days. I ate no food and offered prayer to the God of heaven.
Then I gave orders for a time of going without food, there by the Ahava River, so that we might make ourselves low before our God in prayer, requesting from him a safe journey for us and for our little ones and for all our substance. I would not make request to the king for a band of armed men and horsemen to give us help against those who might attack us on the way. We said to the king: The hand (power) (protection) of our God is on his servants for good, but his power and his wrath are against all those who have turned away from him. So we went without food, requesting our God for this: and his ear was open to our prayer.
I looked to Jehovah God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
He told them: It was because of your lack of faith: Truly I say to you, if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you.
She had been a widow eighty-four years. She never left the temple. She worshipped and fasted with supplications day and night.
They said: The disciples of John fast often and make supplications. So do the disciples of the Pharisees. But yours eat and drink.
When they had ordained elders in every congregation they prayed with fasting. They commended them to God, on whom they believed.
Let the husband fulfill his marital duties to his wife and also the wife to her husband. The wife has no authority over her own body, but her husband does. Likewise also the husband has no authority over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent for a time. That way you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer. Then come together again, that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
As they ministered to God, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said: Set Barnabas and Saul apart for the work I have called them.
