33 And to love him with all the heart and with all (A)the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, (B)is much more than all (C)whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

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33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”(A)

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For (A)I desire steadfast love[a] and not sacrifice,
    (B)the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 6:6 Septuagint mercy

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

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What Does the Lord Require?

(A)“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before (B)God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
(C)Will the Lord be pleased with[a] thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
(D)Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and (E)what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,[b]
    and to (F)walk humbly with your God?

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:7 Or Will the Lord accept
  2. Micah 6:8 Or steadfast love

With what shall I come before(A) the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?(B)
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(C)
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(D)
Shall I offer my firstborn(E) for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(F)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(G) and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a](H) with your God.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Micah 6:8 Or prudently

22 And Samuel said,

(A)“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, (B)to obey is better than sacrifice,
    and to listen than the fat of rams.

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22 But Samuel replied:

“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.

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And if you had known (A)what this means, (B)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

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If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a](A) you would not have condemned the innocent.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6

13 Go and learn (A)what this means: (B)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For (C)I came not to call the righteous, (D)but sinners.”

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13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a](A) For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:13 Hosea 6:6

The Way of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have (A)prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, (B)so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (C)If I give away all I have, and (D)if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast

13 If I speak in the tongues[a](A) of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy(B) and can fathom all mysteries(C) and all knowledge,(D) and if I have a faith(E) that can move mountains,(F) but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor(G) and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b](H) but do not have love, I gain nothing.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames

21 (A)“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 (B)Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to (C)the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

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21 “I hate,(A) I despise your religious festivals;(B)
    your assemblies(C) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(D) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(E)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(F)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(G)
24 But let justice(H) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(I) like a never-failing stream!(J)

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11 (A)“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
    says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
    and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
    or of lambs, or of goats.

12 “When you come to (B)appear before me,
    who has required of you
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
    incense is an abomination to me.
(C)New moon and Sabbath and the (D)calling of convocations—
    I cannot endure (E)iniquity and (F)solemn assembly.
14 Your (G)new moons and your appointed feasts
    my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
    I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you (H)spread out your hands,
    I will hide my eyes from you;
(I)even though you make many prayers,
    I will not listen;
    (J)your hands are full of blood.
16 (K)Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
(L)cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
(M)seek justice,
    correct oppression;
(N)bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow's cause.

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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)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,(E)
    this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!(F)
    Your incense(G) is detestable(H) to me.
New Moons,(I) Sabbaths and convocations(J)
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon(K) feasts and your appointed festivals(L)
    I hate with all my being.(M)
They have become a burden to me;(N)
    I am weary(O) of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands(P) in prayer,
    I hide(Q) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.(R)

Your hands(S) are full of blood!(T)

16 Wash(U) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;(V)
    stop doing wrong.(W)
17 Learn to do right;(X) seek justice.(Y)
    Defend the oppressed.[a](Z)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;(AA)
    plead the case of the widow.(AB)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor

23 The one who (A)offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
    to one who (B)orders his way rightly
    I will show the (C)salvation of God!”

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23 Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless[a] I will show my salvation.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:23 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; the meaning of the Masoretic Text for this phrase is uncertain.

Not for your sacrifices (A)do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 (B)I know all the birds of the hills,
    and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    (C)for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 (D)Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[a]
    and (E)perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and (F)call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will (G)deliver you, and you shall (H)glorify me.”

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 50:14 Or Make thanksgiving your sacrifice to God

I bring no charges(A) against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings,(B) which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull(C) from your stall
    or of goats(D) from your pens,(E)
10 for every animal of the forest(F) is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.(G)
11 I know every bird(H) in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields(I) are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world(J) is mine, and all that is in it.(K)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings(L) to God,
    fulfill your vows(M) to the Most High,(N)
15 and call(O) on me in the day of trouble;(P)
    I will deliver(Q) you, and you will honor(R) me.”

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When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in (A)sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),

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First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”(A)—though they were offered in accordance with the law.

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21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (A)“Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them (B)concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: (C)‘Obey my voice, and (D)I will be your God, and you shall be my people. (E)And walk in all the way that I command you, (F)that it may be well with you.’

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21 “‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices(A) and eat(B) the meat yourselves! 22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands(C) about burnt offerings and sacrifices,(D) 23 but I gave them this command:(E) Obey(F) me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.(G) Walk in obedience to all(H) I command you, that it may go well(I) with you.

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