1 Corinthians 5
J.B. Phillips New Testament
A horrible sin and a stern remedy
5 1-2 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and immorality of a kind that even pagans condemn—a man has apparently taken his father’s wife! Are you still proud of your church? Shouldn’t you be overwhelmed with sorrow and shame? The man who has done such a thing should certainly be expelled from your fellowship!
3-5 I know I am not with you physically but I am with you in spirit, and I assure you as solemnly as if I were actually present before your assembly that I have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done this thing, and I do this with full divine authority. My judgment is this: that the man should be left to the mercy of Satan so that while his body will experience the destructive powers of sin his spirit may yet be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6-8 Your pride in your church is lamentably out of place. Don’t you know how a little yeast can permeate the whole lump? Clear out every bit of the old yeast that you may be new unleavened bread! We Christians have had a Passover lamb sacrificed for us—none other than Christ himself! So let us “keep the feast” with no trace of the yeast of the old life, nor the yeast of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of unadulterated truth!
9-13 In my previous letter I said, “Don’t mix with the immoral.” I didn’t mean, of course, that you were to have no contact at all with the immoral of this world, nor with any cheats or thieves or idolaters—for that would mean going out of the world altogether! But in this letter I tell you not to associate with any professing Christian who is known to be an impure man or a swindler, an idolater, a man with a foul tongue, a drunkard or a thief. My instruction is: “Don’t even eat with such a man.” Those outside the church it is not my business to judge. but surely it is your business to judge those who are inside the church—God alone can judge those who are outside. It is your plain duty to ‘put away from yourselves that wicked person’.
1 Corinthians 5
New American Standard Bible
Sexual Immorality Rebuked
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, namely, that someone has (A)his father’s wife. 2 [a]You (B)have become [b]arrogant and [c]have not (C)mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be (D)removed from your midst.
3 For I, on my part, though (E)absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. 4 (F)In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and [d]I with you in spirit, (G)with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided [e]to (H)turn such a person over to (I)Satan for the destruction of his [f]body, so that his spirit may be saved on (J)the day of the [g]Lord.
6 (K)Your boasting is not good. (L)Do you not know that (M)a little [h]leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our (N)Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, (O)not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my letter (P)not to associate with sexually immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with (Q)idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world. 11 But [i]actually, I [j]wrote to you not to associate [k]with any so-called (R)brother if he is a sexually immoral person, or a greedy person, or (S)an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or habitually drunk, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what business of mine is it to judge (T)outsiders? (U)Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God [l]judges. (V)Remove the evil person from among yourselves.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 5:2 Or have you...?
- 1 Corinthians 5:2 Lit puffed up
- 1 Corinthians 5:2 Or have you...?
- 1 Corinthians 5:4 Lit my spirit, with the power
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 Or that you are to turn
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 Lit flesh
- 1 Corinthians 5:5 One early ms Lord Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 5:6 I.e., fermented dough
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 Lit now
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 Or have written
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 Lit together if anyone called a brother is
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 Or will judge
1 Corinthians 5
King James Version
5 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
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.”
Footnotes
- 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
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

