1 Corinthians 7

Jubilee Bible 2000

7 ¶ Now concerning the things of which ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

³ Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

⁴ The wife does not have authority of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband does not have authority of his own body, but the wife.

⁵ Do not defraud one another, except it be with mutual consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again, that Satan not tempt you for your incontinency.

⁶ But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment.

⁷ For I would that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one after this manner and another after that.

⁸ I say, therefore, to the unmarried men and widowers, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

⁹ But if they do not have the gift of continence, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰ ¶ And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife separate from her husband;

¹¹ and if she separates, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife.

¹² But to the rest I speak, not the Lord: If any brother has a wife that does not believe, and she consents to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

¹³ And the woman who has a husband that does not believe and if he consents to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbelieving spouse separates, let them separate. The brother or the sister is not under slavery in such cases, but God has called us to peace.

¹⁶ For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or what knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

¹⁷ ¶ But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let them walk. And so I ordain in all the congregations. {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}

¹⁸ Is anyone called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Is anyone called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandments of God.

²⁰ Let each abide in the same calling in which he was called.

²¹ Art thou called being a slave? care not for it; but if thou may be made free, use it rather.

²² For he that is called in the Lord, being a slave, is the Lord’s freeman; likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s slave.

²³ Ye are bought with a price; do not make yourselves the slaves of men.

²⁴ Each one, brothers, in that state in which he was called, let him abide with God.

²⁵ ¶ Now concerning virgins I have no com­mandment of the Lord, yet I give my advice, as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.

²⁶ I hold, therefore, this to be good because of the present distress, that it is good for a man to be thus:

²⁷ Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.

²⁸ But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have affliction in the flesh, but I forbear you.

²⁹ But this I say, brothers, the time is short; for the rest, let those that have wives be as though they had none;

³⁰ and those that weep, as though they wept not; and those that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those that buy, as though they possessed not;

³¹ and those that use this world, as not using it as their own, for the fashion of this world passes away.

³² But I would have you without worry. He that is unmarried cares for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

³³ but he that is married cares for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

³⁴ There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she that is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

³⁵ And this I speak for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is honourable and that ye may attend upon the Lord without impediment.

³⁶ ¶ But if anyone thinks it uncomely regarding his daughter, if she passes the bloom of life, and need so requires, let him do what he will, he does not sin: let them marry.

³⁷ Nevertheless, he that stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has liberty regarding his own, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his daughter, does well.

³⁸ So then he that gives her in marriage does well, but he that does not give her in marriage does better.

³⁹ ¶ The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is free and may be married to whom she will, if it is in the Lord.

⁴⁰ But she shall be more blessed if she so abides, after my counsel, and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.