I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings. It is for no neglect of the outward ritual of religion—of sacrifice and offering—that I have to reprove thee. To have been continually before me; rather, they have been continually before me.
I have had enough of them, and to spare. Not only have the daily morning and evening sacrifices been regularly offered, and the national worship thus kept up without a break; but the private offerings of individuals (see Psalms 50:9, Psalms 50:13) have been continuous and ample in number.
But they have not been acceptable.