Doing what is righteous and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.(A)

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To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable[a] to the Lord than sacrifice.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:3 tn The Niphal participle בָּחַר (bakhar, “to choose”) means “choice to the Lord” or “chosen of the Lord,” meaning “acceptable to the Lord”; cf. TEV “pleases the Lord more.”
  2. Proverbs 21:3 sn The Lord prefers righteousness above religious service (e.g., Prov 15:8; 21:29; 1 Sam 15:22; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:11-17). This is not a rejection of ritual worship; rather, religious acts are without value apart from righteous living.