Lawsuits among Believers

If any of you has a dispute against another, how dare you take it to court(A) before the unrighteous,[a] and not before the saints? Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases? Don’t you know that we will judge angels—how much more matters of this life? So if you have such matters, do you appoint as your judges those who have no standing(B) in the church? I say this to your shame!(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between fellow believers?(D) Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers!(E)

As it is, to have legal disputes against one another is already a defeat for you.(F) Why not rather be wronged?(G) Why not rather be cheated?(H) Instead, you yourselves do wrong and cheat—and you do this to brothers and sisters!

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Footnotes

  1. 6:1 Unbelievers; v. 6

Lawsuits between Believers

Does anyone among you, if he[a] has a matter against someone else, dare to go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if by you the world is judged, are you unworthy of the most insignificant courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters? Therefore, if you have courts with regard to ordinary matters, do you seat[b] these despised people in the church? I say this to your shame. So is there not anyone wise among you who will be able to render a decision between his brothers? But brother goes to court with brother, and this before unbelievers! Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you wrong and defraud, and do this to brothers!

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:1 Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has”) which is understood as conditional
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:4 Or “seat” (imperative); the Greek verb can be either indicative mood or imperative mood by its form