"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."
— 1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)
1 Corinthians 13:6 is the verse people mean when they search the reference for "love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." This page is the passage and a plain reading. The verse before on this site is 1 Corinthians 13:5. The verse after is 1 Corinthians 13:7. Verses 4–7 together are 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love that "rejoices in the truth" is the heart of how love and truth fit together.
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The verse
1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV) says, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."
The King James reads, "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." Paul pairs a refusal with a positive: love will not celebrate wrongdoing, and it will celebrate what is true.
What the verse is saying
Verse 5 refused dishonor, self-seeking, easy anger, and a ledger of wrongs. Verse 6 turns to what love celebrates. Delighting in evil can mean taking pleasure in someone else's fall, gossip that hurts, or wrong that serves me. Rejoicing with the truth means love is glad when what is real and right comes into the open — even when that costs pride. This is not cold correctness; it is loyalty to what is good for the other person and for the community.
This page stays with verse 6. The four-verse unit is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Patience and kindness open the list at 1 Corinthians 13:4.
How people use 1 Corinthians 13:6
People look up the reference for wedding readings, sermons on honesty in relationships, and studies that contrast love with schadenfreude or flattery. Ceremony lists that include the love chapter are Wedding Bible verses and Wedding Bible readings. The wider chapter is 1 Corinthians 13.
Questions people ask
What does 1 Corinthians 13:6 say?
It says love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
What does love rejoices with the truth mean?
It means love is glad when what is true and right is honored, not when harm or falsehood wins. The measure is Paul's love list, not winning an argument.
How does verse 6 relate to verse 5 and verse 7?
Verse 5 refuses shame, selfishness, quick anger, and scorekeeping. Verse 6 refuses delight in evil and chooses joy in truth. Verse 7 then names love that always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres — see 1 Corinthians 13:7.
Is this only for couples?
Paul wrote to a divided church. The verse fits marriage, friendship, and church life. The wider unit is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Where should I read next?
For the lines before and after, read 1 Corinthians 13:5 and 1 Corinthians 13:7. For love that never fails, read 1 Corinthians 13:8. For the whole chapter, read 1 Corinthians 13.
