Matthew 12:7

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary LanguageOther versions

English

If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual’—you wouldn’t be nitpicking like this.

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

If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent.

But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’

And if you had known what it means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Public Domain