“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,^(A)
    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

⁶ For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,^(A)
    and acknowledgment^(B) of God rather than burnt offerings.^(C)

¹⁷ My sacrifice,^(A) O God, is^[a] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(B)
    you, God, will not despise.

³ To do what is right and just
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.^(A)