A Translation for Translators 1 CORINTHIANS 5

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

You should expel the man in your congregation who has acted so immorally.

1 Now I want to discuss another matter. It has been {People have} reported to me, and I believe that it is true, that some people among you have been acting in a sexually immoral way, in a way that is so bad that not even ◄pagans/people who do not know about God► act that way. People tell me that a man is living with his stepmother (OR, his father's other wife). 2 You should be sad about what that man is doing! He should have been expelled {You should have expelled him} from your congregation! But you have notdone that, so ◄how can you be proud, thinking that you are spiritually mature?/it is disgusting that you are proud, thinking that you are spiritually mature!► [RHQ] 3 As for me, I have already decided how you should punish that man. And even though I am away from you, my spirit is with you, and you should do as I would do if I were there with you. 4 What I have decided is that when you have gathered together with the authority [MTY] of our Lord Jesus, and my spirit is with you, and the power of our Lord Jesus is with you, 5 you should put that man into Satan's hands. Then Satan can injure/punish his body, in order that he will turn away from his sinful behavior and his spirit will be saved on the day when the Lord returns [MTY].

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Make sure that no one in your congregation is acting immorally or maliciously or wickedly.

6 It is not good that, while you are letting that immoral man continue to be in your congregation, you are boasting about being spiritually mature. ◄You know that a small amount of yeast affects all the bread dough [MET] into which it is put {a woman puts it}./Do you not know that a small amount of yeast affects all the bread dough [MET] into which it is put?► [RHQ] Similarly, one person who continues to sin will have a bad effect on all the congregation. 7 So, just like we Jews expel the old yeast from our houses during the Passover celebration in order that we may have a fresh batch of dough without yeast in it [MET], you must expel such evil people from your congregation. Do that so that you can truly be holy people, as I know that you really are. Remember that Christ was sacrificed {sacrificed himself} so that God could spare us from being punished for our sins, just like the Jews sacrificed lambs during the first Passover celebration so that God would spare their firstborn sons from being killed. 8 So let us celebrate the fact that God has freed us from punishing us for our sins [MET], just like the Jews in later years celebrated Passover to celebrate God freeing them from being slaves in Egypt. They made sure that there was no old yeast in the dough. They ate bread that had no yeast in it. Similarly, we should make sure that there are no people in our congregations [MET] who act maliciously toward others or act wickedly. Instead, make sure [MET] that those in our congregations are ones who act sincerely and speak truthfully.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Expel wicked people from your congregation.

9 In the previous letter that I wrote to you, I said that you should not associate with sexually immoral people. 10 I did not mean that you should not associate with unbelievers who are immoral, or who desire things that belong to others, or who ◄forcefully seize things that belong to others/are swindlers►, or who worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid all people like that. 11 But now I am stating clearly that when I wrote, I meant that you should not associate with those who say that they are fellow believers, if they are sexually immoral or if they desire and forcefully seize things that belong to others, or worship idols, or slander others, or become drunk. You should not associate with people like that, and you should not even eat with them! 12 It is certainly not [RHQ] my business to judge people who are not believers and who do not belong to Christian congregations. But it certainly is [RHQ] your business to judge those who are in your congregation. 13 God is the one who will judge those who are not believers. Do as the Scriptures command: “Expel the wicked person from your midst!”