(IF you) share your food with the hungry and . . provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, . . clothe him, and not . . turn away from your own flesh and blood . . . . . .
THEN your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. . . . . .
IF you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
THEN your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your PEOPLE will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
THEN you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land . . . .
. . . . . . The Mouth of the Lord has Spoken.
(excerpted from Isaiah 58 NIV)
