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

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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

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

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