Proverbs 21:27

THE MESSAGE

Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it's even worse when they use it to get ahead.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—how much more sowhen he brings it with ulterior motives!

Hebrew Names Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: How much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

King James Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

English Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.

New American Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

New Century Version
The Lord hates sacrifices brought by evil people, particularly when they offer them for the wrong reasons.

Amplified Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable and offensive [to the LORD]. How much more [unacceptable and insulting can it be] when he brings it with evil intention?

World English Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: How much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

Geneva Bible (1587)
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked minde?

Legacy Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,How much more when he brings it with a wicked scheme!

Berean Standard Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable-how much more so when brought with ill intent!

Contemporary English Version
The Lord despises the offerings of wicked people with evil motives.

Complete Jewish Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with vile motives.

Darby Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more when they bring it with a wicked purpose!

Easy-to-Read Version
God hates sacrifices from the wicked, especially when their reason for offering them is evil.

George Lamsa Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; because they bring it in an unjust way.

Good News Translation
The Lord hates it when wicked people offer him sacrifices, especially if they do it from evil motives.

Lexham English Bible
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it in divisiveness!

Literal Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful, how much more when he brings it with an evil intent!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sacrifice of the vngodly is abhominacion, for they offre the thinge yt is gotten wt wickednes.

American Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

Bible in Basic English
The offering of evil-doers is disgusting: how much more when they give it with an evil purpose!

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more, when he bringeth it with the proceeds of wickedness?

King James Version (1611)
The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked minde?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The sacrifice of the vngodly is abhomination: howe muche more when they offer the thing that is gotten with wickednesse?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination to the Lord, for they offer them wickedly.

English Revised Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The offringis of wickid men, that ben offrid of greet trespas, ben abhomynable.

Update Bible Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is disgusting: How much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

Webster's Bible Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked [is] abomination: how much more, [when] he bringeth it with a wicked mind?

New English Translation
The wicked person's sacrifice is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent!

New King James Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

New Living Translation
The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

New Life Bible
The gift given on an altar in worship by the sinful is a hated thing. How much more when he brings it for the wrong reason!

New Revised Standard
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when brought with evil intent.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The sacrifice of the lawless, is an abomination, how much more, when, with wickedness, he bringeth it in!

Douay-Rheims Bible
The sacrifices of the wicked are abominable, because they are offered of wickedness.

Revised Standard Version
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent.

Young's Literal Translation
The sacrifice of the wicked [is] abomination, Much more when in wickedness he bringeth it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

Contextual Overview

²⁷ Religious performance by the wicked stinks; it's even worse when they use it to get ahead.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sacrifice: Proverbs 15:8, Proverbs 28:9, 1 Samuel 13:12, 1 Samuel 13:13, 1 Samuel 15:21-23, Psalms 50:8-13, Isaiah 1:11-16, Isaiah 66:3, Jeremiah 6:20, Jeremiah 7:11, Jeremiah 7:12, Amos 5:21, Amos 5:22

with a wicked mind: Heb. in wickedness, Matthew 23:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:7 - be accepted Leviticus 11:34 - General 1 Samuel 13:9 - he offered 1 Samuel 20:24 - the king 2 Samuel 15:7 - pay 2 Samuel 15:12 - while he offered Psalms 51:16 - delightest Psalms 109:7 - and let Proverbs 7:14 - I have peace offerings with me Proverbs 21:4 - and the Ecclesiastes 5:1 - give Isaiah 1:13 - incense Isaiah 43:23 - honoured Isaiah 58:4 - ye fast Jeremiah 11:15 - to do Jeremiah 14:12 - and when Ezekiel 14:3 - should Ezekiel 20:3 - As I Ezekiel 20:39 - but Hosea 5:6 - go Hosea 8:13 - but Haggai 2:14 - So is this people Malachi 2:13 - insomuch 1 Timothy 2:8 - lifting Hebrews 11:4 - a more James 1:7 - General James 4:3 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."

Genesis 21:31
That's how the place got named Beersheba (the Oath-Well), because the two of them swore a covenant oath there. After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and his commander, Phicol, left and went back to Philistine territory.

1 Samuel 18:3
Jonathan, out of his deep love for David, made a covenant with him. He formalized it with solemn gifts: his own royal robe and weapons—armor, sword, bow, and belt.

Proverbs 17:8
Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone; any way you look at it, you see beauty refracted.

Proverbs 18:16
A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.

Proverbs 18:24
Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 21:14
A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt present cools a hot temper.

Ezekiel 17:13
The Great Tree Is Made Small and the Small Tree Great God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, make a riddle for the house of Israel. Tell them a story. Say, ‘ God , the Master, says: "‘A great eagle with a huge wingspan and long feathers, In full plumage and bright colors, came to Lebanon And took the top off a cedar, broke off the top branch, Took it to a land of traders, and set it down in a city of shopkeepers. Then he took a cutting from the land and planted it in good, well-watered soil, like a willow on a riverbank. It sprouted into a flourishing vine, low to the ground. Its branches grew toward the eagle and the roots became established— A vine putting out shoots, developing branches. "‘There was another great eagle with a huge wingspan and thickly feathered. This vine sent out its roots toward him from the place where it was planted. Its branches reached out to him so he could water it from a long distance. It had been planted in good, well-watered soil, And it put out branches and bore fruit, and became a noble vine. "‘ God , the Master, says, Will it thrive? Won't he just pull it up by the roots and leave the grapes to rot And the branches to shrivel up, a withered, dead vine? It won't take much strength or many hands to pull it up. Even if it's transplanted, will it thrive? When the hot east wind strikes it, won't it shrivel up? Won't it dry up and blow away from the place where it was planted?'" God 's Message came to me: "Tell this house of rebels, ‘Do you get it? Do you know what this means?' "Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its leaders back to Babylon. He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, making him swear his loyalty. The king of Babylon took all the top leaders into exile to make sure that this kingdom stayed weak—didn't get any big ideas of itself—and kept the covenant with him so that it would have a future. "‘But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army. Do you think that's going to work? Are they going to get by with this? Does anyone break a covenant and get off scot-free? "‘As sure as I am the living God, this king who broke his pledge of loyalty and his covenant will die in that country, in Babylon. Pharaoh with his big army—all those soldiers!—won't lift a finger to fight for him when Babylon sets siege to the city and kills everyone inside. Because he broke his word and broke the covenant, even though he gave his solemn promise, because he went ahead and did all these things anyway, he won't escape. "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says, As sure as I am the living God, because the king despised my oath and broke my covenant, I'll bring the consequences crashing down on his head. I'll send out a search party and catch him. I'll take him to Babylon and have him brought to trial because of his total disregard for me. All his elite soldiers, along with the rest of the army, will be killed in battle, and whoever is left will be scattered to the four winds. Then you'll realize that I, God , have spoken. "‘ God , the Master, says, I personally will take a shoot from the top of the towering cedar, a cutting from the crown of the tree, and plant it on a high and towering mountain, on the high mountain of Israel. It will grow, putting out branches and fruit—a majestic cedar. Birds of every sort and kind will live under it. They'll build nests in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the field will recognize that I, God , made the great tree small and the small tree great, made the green tree turn dry and the dry tree sprout green branches. I, God , said it—and I did it.'"

Galatians 3:15
Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say "to descendants," referring to everybody in general, but "to your descendant" (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith. If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti-promise, a negation of God's will for us? Not at all. Its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time. Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The sacrifice of the wicked [is] abomination,.... That is, to the Lord, as in Proverbs 15:8; and as it is here added in the Septuagint and Arabic versions;

how much more, [when] he bringeth it with a wicked mind? the Arabic version is, "with a mind alien from the law"; or when it is not brought according to law; when it is a corrupt thing, that which is torn, lame, or sick, or robbery for burnt sacrifice; when it is done with an evil intention, to cover sin, to atone for without repenting of it or forsaking it; that they may go on in sin with impunity, and be allowed to commit it; for which cause Balak and Balsam offered sacrifices, which is the instance Jarchi produces; and indeed every religious action not done in faith, and love, and sincerity, and with a view to the glory of God, but in hypocrisy and with selfish views, in order to procure acceptance with God and justification in his sight; setting aside the righteousness, sacrifice, and satisfaction of the son of God, is done with a wicked mind, and is an abomination to the Lord. Some render it, "even though he brings it diligently", or "with great art and skill" i; is constant at his devotion, and carries it so artfully, and with such a show of religion, as to deceive men, yet he cannot deceive the Lord.

i בזמה "solerter", De Dieu.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A lower depth even than Proverbs 15:8. The wicked man may connect his devotion with his guilt, offer his sacrifice and vow his vow (as men have done under paganism or corrupted Christianity) for success in the perpetration of a crime.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 21:27. When he bringeth it with a wicked mind? — If such a person even bring the sacrifices and offerings which God requires, they are an abomination to him, because the man is wicked; and if such offerings be imperfect in themselves, or of goods ill-gotten, or offered by constraint of custom, &c., they are doubly abominable.