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

²¹ “I hate,^(A) I despise your religious festivals;^(B)
    your assemblies^(C) are a stench to me.

¹¹ “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;^(A)
I have no pleasure^(B)
    in the blood of bulls^(C) and lambs and goats.^(D)

¹⁶ He defended the cause of the poor and needy,^(A)
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know^(B) me?”
    declares the Lord.

“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.

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