¹⁷ But in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

²² What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not.

¹⁴ And those of the rulers who are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of those who do well.

²⁵ Not giving up our meetings, as is the way of some, but keeping one another strong in faith; and all the more because you see the day coming near.

²³ If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced?

³⁴ If any man is in need of food, let him take his meal in his house; so that you may not come together to your damage. And the rest I will put in order when I come.

² Now I am pleased to see that you keep me in memory in all things, and that you give attention to the teaching which was handed down from me to you.

²⁶ What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.

²⁰ But now, when you come together, it is not possible to take the holy meal of the Lord:

⁹ Will you take the goods of others, put men to death, and be untrue to your wives, and take false oaths, and have perfumes burned to the Baal, and go after other gods which are strange to you;

¹⁰ And come and take your place before me in this house, which is named by my name, and say, We have been made safe; so that you may do all these disgusting things?

¹ Make a loud cry, do not be quiet, let your voice be sounding like a horn, and make clear to my people their evil doings, and to the family of Jacob their sins.

² Though they make prayer to me every day, and take pleasure in the knowledge of my ways: like a nation which has done righteousness, and has not given up the rules of their God, they make requests to me for the right orders, it is their delight to come near to God.

³ They say, Why have we kept ourselves from food, and you do not see it? why have we kept ourselves from pleasure, and you take no note of it? If, in the days when you keep from food, you take the chance to do your business, and get in your debts;

⁴ If keeping from food makes you quickly angry, ready for fighting and giving blows with evil hands; your holy days are not such as to make your voice come to my ears on high.

¹³ Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings.

¹⁴ Your new moons and your regular feasts are a grief to my soul: they are a weight in my spirit; I am crushed under them.

⁵ Better is open protest than love kept secret.

¹⁷ Let there be no hate in your heart for your brother; but you may make a protest to your neighbour, so that he may be stopped from doing evil.

³ For rulers are not a cause of fear to the good work but to the evil. If you would have no fear of the authority, do good and you will have praise;