“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.

⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
    it is written about me in the scroll.^[a](A)
8 I desire to do your will,^(B) my God;^(C)
    your law is within my heart.”^(D)

⁹ I proclaim your saving acts^(E) in the great assembly;^(F)
    I do not seal my lips, Lord,
    as you know.^(G)

⁸ The Lord detests the sacrifice^(A) of the wicked,^(B)
    but the prayer of the upright pleases him.^(C)

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

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