Sincere Worship

¹Keeping the law is the same as making many offerings.

Heeding the commandments is like making a peace offering.

²To repay a kind deed is to offer fine flour,

and to give charitable gifts is to sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving.

³To avoid wickedness is to please the Lord,

and to abandon injustice is to make an atoning sacrifice.

⁴But do not come before the Lord without anything to offer,

for making these offerings fulfills the Lord’s commandment.

⁵The offering of the righteous enriches the altar;

its pleasing aroma rises to the Most High.

⁶The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable;

the Lord will never forget it.

⁷Be generous when you worship the Lord.

Do not hold back the firstfruits of your labor.

⁸Be cheerful as you give each gift,

and be joyful as you dedicate your tithes.

⁹Give to the Most High as he has given to you

and as generously as you can afford.

¹⁰For the Lord always repays,

and he will repay you seven times over.

The Lord Repays Injustice

¹¹Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it.

Do not rely on a wrongly obtained sacrifice.

¹²For the Lord is the judge,

and he does not show favoritism.

¹³The Lord is not prejudiced against the poor,[#35:13 Or is not partial toward.]

and he will listen to the prayer of the one who is wronged.

¹⁴He will not ignore the requests of the orphan

or the widow when she pours out her complaint.

¹⁵Look how the widow’s tears run down her cheek

as she cries out against the one who causes them to fall!

¹⁶Those who serve the Lord in a way that pleases him will be accepted,

and their prayers will reach even to the clouds.

¹⁷The prayer of the humble penetrates the clouds,

and they will not rest until the prayer has been answered.

¹⁸They will not stop until the Most High responds,

enforcing justice for the righteous and executing judgment.

¹⁹The Lord will not delay;

he will not be patient.

²⁰He will crush the loins of the unmerciful

and take vengeance on the nations.

²¹He will destroy all of the arrogant

and shatter the power of the wicked.

²²He will repay all people as their deeds deserve

and judge their actions by their intentions.

²³He will rule in favor of his people

and cause them to rejoice in his mercy.

²⁴His mercy is as welcome in a time of distress

as clouds of rain in a time of drought.