Proverbs 15:8

The Lord abhors ¹  the sacrifices ²  of the wicked, ³  but the prayer ⁴  of the upright pleases him. ⁵ 

The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

The LORD hates the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

GOD can't stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers.

The offering of the evil-doer is disgusting to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright man is his delight.

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

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

The Lord abhors ¹  the sacrifices ²  of the wicked, ³  but the prayer ⁴  of the upright pleases him. ⁵ 

¹ tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Cf. NIV “the Lord detests”; NCV, NLT “the Lord hates”; CEV “the Lord is disgusted.”

² tn Heb “sacrifice” (so many English versions).

³ sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God.

⁴ sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).

⁵ tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.