1 Corinthians 5
New Catholic Bible
Deviant Behavior[a]
Chapter 5
Reports of Sexual Immorality. 1 There have been widely circulated reports of sexual immorality among you, immorality of such a nature that not even pagans practice—the union of a man with his father’s wife. 2 How can you be proud of yourselves? You should rather have been overcome with grief and expelled from the community anyone who acted in such a manner.
3 I for my part am with you in spirit, even though I am not physically present. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as if I were actually present. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you have all assembled together and I am with you in spirit through the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to hand over this man to Satan to be destroyed in the flesh, so that on the day of the Lord his spirit may be saved.
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a small amount of yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7 [b]Throw out the old yeast so that you may become a fresh batch of unleavened dough. And truly you already are, because Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of depravity and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 In my letter, I wrote to you not to associate with people who are leading immoral lives.[c] 10 Obviously, I was not referring to contact with people in the world who are immoral or with those who are greedy or thieves or worshipers of false gods, since to do this you would have to leave the world. 11 What I really meant to get across was that you should not associate with any brother or sister who is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard or a robber. You should not even eat with such a person.
12 It is no concern of mine to judge those who are outside the fold.[d] It is your responsibility to judge those who are inside. 13 God will pass judgment on the outsiders. Banish the evil person from your midst.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 5:1 Paul here denounces some behaviors as real scandals. He has confidence, nonetheless, that the power of Christ will transform the lives of the baptized.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 These verses have been described as the earliest Easter homily in Christian literature. Paul urges the Corinthians to keep the feast of Unleavened Bread (which followed Passover) by living the Christian life in total dedication to God (see Rom 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:5). The true Passover is the Death of Christ, which should give rise to a life of newness, purity, and integrity in the same way that during the feast of Unleavened Bread the old bread gave way to unleavened bread.
- 1 Corinthians 5:9 This earlier Letter has been lost, although some scholars suggest that a fragment of the original Letter can be found in 2 Cor 6:14—7:1.
- 1 Corinthians 5:12 Those who are outside the fold: non-Christians. A Jewish expression. See Mk 6:11.
1 Corinthians 5
New King James Version
Immorality Defiles the Church
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even [a]named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s (A)wife! 2 (B)And you are [b]puffed up, and have not rather (C)mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 (D)For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the (E)name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, (F)with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 (G)deliver such a one to (H)Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord [c]Jesus.
6 (I)Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that (J)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore [d]purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed (K)Christ, our (L)Passover, was sacrificed [e]for us. 8 Therefore (M)let us keep the feast, (N)not with old leaven, nor (O)with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Immorality Must Be Judged
9 I wrote to you in my epistle (P)not to [f]keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go (Q)out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company (R)with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—(S)not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore (T)“put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 5:1 NU omits named
- 1 Corinthians 5:2 arrogant
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 NU omits Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 clean out
- 1 Corinthians 5:7 NU omits for us
- 1 Corinthians 5:9 associate
1 Corinthians 5
English Standard Version
Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church
5 It is actually reported that there is (A)sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, (B)for a man has his father's wife. 2 And (C)you are arrogant! Ought you (D)not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though (E)absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled (F)in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are (G)to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so (H)that his spirit may be saved (I)in the day of the Lord.[a]
6 (J)Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that (K)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, (L)not with the old leaven, (M)the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter (N)not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 (O)not at all meaning (P)the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, (Q)since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone (R)who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging (S)outsiders? (T)Is it not those inside the church[b] whom you are to judge? 13 God judges[c] those outside. (U)“Purge the evil person from among you.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 Some manuscripts add Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 5:12 Greek those inside
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 Or will judge
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
