8  ^yNot for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;

your burnt offerings are continually before me.

6  For ^eI desire steadfast love¹ and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God ^frather than burnt offerings.

16  For ^xyou will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

6  ^cIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.¹

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

8  I ^ddelight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

11  ^q“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 ^rappear before me,

who has required of you

this trampling of my courts?

13  Bring no more vain offerings;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

14  Your new moons and your appointed feasts

my soul hates;

they have become a ^sburden to me;

I am ^tweary of bearing them.

15  When you ^uspread out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

^vI will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

16  ^wWash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

17  learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

bring justice to the ^xfatherless,

plead the widow’s cause.

18  “Come now, let us reason¹ together, says the Lord:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as ^ywhite as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

19  ^zIf you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

20  but ^aif you refuse and rebel,

you shall be eaten by the sword;

^bfor the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

21  How the faithful city

has become a ^cwhore,²

she who was full of justice!

Righteousness lodged in her,

but now murderers.

22  Your silver has become ^ddross,

your best wine mixed with water.

23  ^eYour princes are rebels

and companions of thieves.

Everyone loves a bribe

and runs after gifts.

They do not bring justice to the fatherless,

and the widow’s cause does not come to them.

24  Therefore the Lord declares,

the Lord of hosts,

^fthe Mighty One of Israel:

“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies

and avenge myself on my foes.

25  I will turn my hand against you

and will smelt away your dross as with lye

and remove all your alloy.

26  And I will restore your judges as at the first,

and your counselors as at the beginning.

Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness,

the faithful city.”

27  Zion shall be redeemed by justice,

and those in her who repent, by righteousness.

28  But rebels and sinners shall be broken together,

and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.

29  For they³ shall be ashamed of the ^goaks

that you desired;

and you shall blush for the ^hgardens

that you have chosen.

30  For you shall be like an oak

whose leaf withers,

and like a garden without water.

31  And the strong shall become tinder,

and his work a spark,

and both of them shall burn together,

with none to quench them.

^q“Sacrifices and offerings ^ryou have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for me;

6  in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

7  Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”