Judging Others^(A)

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.^{(B) 2} For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.^(C)

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets.^(A) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.^{(B) 16} By their fruit you will recognize them.^(C) Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?^{(D) 17} Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.^{(E) 19} Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{(F) 20} Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Warning Against Falling Away^(A)

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths^(B) of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!^{(C) 13} Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,^(D) is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature,^(E) who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.^(F)

Dealing With a Case of Incest

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.^{(A) 2} And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning^(B) and have put out of your fellowship^(C) the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.^(D) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus^(E) on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over^(F) to Satan^(G) for the destruction of the flesh,^[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.^(H)

⁶ Your boasting is not good.^(I) Don’t you know that a little yeast^(J) leavens the whole batch of dough?^{(K) 7} Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.^{(L) 8} Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread^(M) of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate^(N) with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world^(O) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[c](P) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^(Q) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^(R)

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside^(S) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^{(T) 13} God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^[d](U)

²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”^(A)