33 Bible Verses about Fasting, Nature Of

And Ezra stood up before the house of God, and went in to the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And when he came thither, he ate no bread, nor drank water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been in captivity.

and I turned me unto God the LORD, for to pray and make mine intercession, with fasting, sack cloth and ashes.

When day was come, certain of the Jews gathered themselves together, and made a vow saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

And so did she year by year, as oft as she went up to the house of the LORD. And so chafed her: wherefore Hannah wept and ate not.

So the king went in to his palace, and kept him sober all night, so that there was no table spread before him, neither could he take any sleep.

A Sabbath of rest it shall be unto you, and ye shall humble your souls. The ninth day of the month at evening, and so forth from evening to evening again, ye shall keep your Sabbath."

Then the children of Israel and all the people went up and came unto Bethel, and wept and sat there before the LORD, and fasted the same day unto evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

And they mourned, wept and fasted until evening - for Saul, and Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they were overthrown with the sword.

And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

and took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

all the men of war arose and fetched away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh and buried the bones of them under an oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

And David besought God for the boy and fasted and went and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose and went to him to take him up from the earth. But he would not, neither yet eat meat with them. And it happened the seventh day that the child died. But the servants of David durst not tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "See, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice. How much more then will he vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead?"read more.
But David saw his servants whispering and thereby perceived that the child was dead, and said unto his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "Yea." Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel, and went into the house of the LORD and prayed; and after came to his own house and bade that they should set meat before him, and he did eat.

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, and neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote in the tables the words of the covenant: even ten verses.

And he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb the mount of God,

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward a hungered.

and was forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days ate he nothing: And when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

"And it shall be an ordinance forever unto you. And even in the tenth day of the seventh month, ye shall humble your souls and shall do no work at all: whether it be one of yourselves or a stranger that sojourneth among you, for that day shall an atonement be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the LORD, and ye shall be clean. It shall be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall humble your souls, and it shall be an ordinance forever.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "Also the tenth day of the self seventh month, is a day of atonement, and shall be a holy feast unto you, and ye shall humble your souls and offer sacrifice unto the LORD. Moreover ye shall do no work the same day, for it is a day of atonement to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.read more.
For whatsoever soul it be that humbleth not himself that day, he shall be destroyed from among his people. And whatsoever soul do any manner work that day, the same I will destroy from among his people. See that ye do no manner work therefore. And it shall be a law forever unto your generations after you in all your dwellings. A Sabbath of rest it shall be unto you, and ye shall humble your souls. The ninth day of the month at evening, and so forth from evening to evening again, ye shall keep your Sabbath."

And the tenth day of that same seventh month shall be a holy feast unto you, and ye shall humble your souls and shall do no manner work therein.

When much time was spent and sailing was now jeopardous, because also that we had overlong fasted, Paul put them in remembrance,

"Thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness, and prosperous high feasts unto the house of Judah: Only, love the truth and peace.

What time as Sharezer and Regemmelech and the men that were with them, sent unto Bethel for to pray before the LORD: and that they should say unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of Hosts, and to the prophets, "Should I weep in the fifth month, and abstain, as I have done now certain years?" Then came the word of the LORD of Hosts unto me, saying,read more.
"Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, and say, 'When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, now this seventy years, did ye fast unto me?

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are; extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithe of all that I possess.'

And Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed fasting throughout all Judah.

And the men of Israel joined themselves together that day: and Saul adjured the people, saying, "Cursed be he that eateth any food until night, that I may be avenged of mine enemies." And so there was none of the people that tasted any sustenance.

But the man of God answered the king, "If thou wouldest give me half thine house, I would not go with thee - neither would I eat meat or drink water in this place. For so was it charged me, through the word of God and said to me, 'Eat no bread nor drink water nor turn again by the same way thou wentest."

And she wrote in the letter, saying, "Proclaim fasting and set Naboth on high among the people,

And this was done in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, when it was commanded that all the people of Jerusalem should fast before the LORD, and they also that were come from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

And in the meantime, betwixt that and day, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, "This is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting receiving nothing at all,

in stripes, in prisonment, in strife, in labour, in watching, in fasting,

in labour and travail, in watching often, in hunger, in thirst, in fastings often, in cold and in nakedness.

When I heard these words, I sat me down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven,

And she had been a widow about four score and four years of age, which went never out of the temple, but served God there with fasting and prayer night and day.