Ecclesiastes 5:1

But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.

and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

He who spares his words has knowledge. He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.

In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.

Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless.

He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.

He who answers before he hears, that is folly and shame to him.

One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey Yahweh your God’s voice; then Yahweh will relent from the evil that he has pronounced against you.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.

Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.

but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.

“What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats.

I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. Now I have seen with joy your people, who are present here, offer willingly to you.

A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

To what purpose does frankincense from Sheba come to me, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.”

For I earnestly protested to your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, rising early and protesting, saying, “Obey my voice.”

leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

“ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am Yahweh.

Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you; for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom on Israel forever.

You say to yourself that you have struck Edom; and your heart lifts you up to boast. Now stay at home. Why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall, even you, and Judah with you?’ ”

Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire. You have opened my ears. You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.

For Yahweh is great, and greatly to be praised! He is to be feared above all gods.

He who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

“For I, Yahweh, love justice. I hate robbery and iniquity. I will give them their reward in truth and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine;

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. He shall take his handful of its fine flour, and of its oil, with all its frankincense, and the priest shall burn its memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

“ ‘Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am Yahweh your God.

but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die.”

He said to Korah and to all his company, “In the morning, Yahweh will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him. Even him whom he shall choose, he will cause to come near to him.

He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into Yahweh’s ark, he struck fifty thousand seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.

You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?’ ”

But Hezekiah didn’t reciprocate appropriate to the benefit done for him, because his heart was lifted up. Therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem.

I don’t rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me.

A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent.

He who is quick to become angry will commit folly, and a crafty man is hated.

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.

The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.

Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me. New moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t stand evil assemblies.

For I didn’t speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices;

which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace,’ saying, ‘Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so you shall be my people, and I will be your God;

The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom shall be a cubit around; and its steps shall look toward the east.”

“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.

But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?

Whoever remains in him doesn’t sin. Whoever sins hasn’t seen him and doesn’t know him.

He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

“ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.

For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”

The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.

a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination— how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

He who kills an ox is as he who kills a man; he who sacrifices a lamb, as he who breaks a dog’s neck; he who offers an offering, as he who offers pig’s blood; he who burns frankincense, as he who blesses an idol. Yes, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations:

So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;

Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.

You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, ‘I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” Aaron held his peace.

He shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering. The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Yahweh his God; for he went into Yahweh’s temple to burn incense on the altar of incense.

When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?

The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.

Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God.”

What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,