1 Corinthians, 7

1. Now for the questions about which you wrote. Yes, it is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman;

1. Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. It is well for a man not to touch a woman.

2. yet to avoid immorality every man should have his own wife and every woman her own husband.

2. But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

3. The husband must give to his wife what she has a right to expect, and so too the wife to her husband.

3. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.

4. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and in the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

4. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.

5. You must not deprive each other, except by mutual consent for a limited time, to leave yourselves free for prayer, and to come together again afterwards; otherwise Satan may take advantage of any lack of self-control to put you to the test.

5. Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.

6. I am telling you this as a concession, not an order.

6. I say this by way of concession, not of command.

7. I should still like everyone to be as I am myself; but everyone has his own gift from God, one this kind and the next something different.

7. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

8. To the unmarried and to widows I say: it is good for them to stay as they are, like me.

8. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do.

9. But if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry, since it is better to be married than to be burnt up.

9. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.

10. To the married I give this ruling, and this is not mine but the Lord's: a wife must not be separated from her husband-

10. To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband

11. or if she has already left him, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband -- and a husband must not divorce his wife.

11. (but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) -- and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

12. For other cases these instructions are my own, not the Lord's. If one of the brothers has a wife who is not a believer, and she is willing to stay with him, he should not divorce her;

12. To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.

13. and if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to stay with her, she should not divorce her husband.

13. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

14. You see, the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through the brother. If this were not so, your children would be unclean, whereas in fact they are holy.

14. For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.

15. But if the unbeliever chooses to leave, then let the separation take place: in these circumstances, the brother or sister is no longer tied. But God has called you to live in peace:

15. But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.

16. as a wife, how can you tell whether you are to be the salvation of your husband; as a husband, how can you tell whether you are to be the salvation of your wife?

16. Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

17. Anyway let everyone continue in the part which the Lord has allotted to him, as he was when God called him. This is the rule that I give to all the churches.

17. Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

18. If a man who is called has already been circumcised, then he must stay circumcised; when an uncircumcised man is called, he may not be circumcised.

18. Was any one at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was any one at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.

19. To be circumcised is of no importance, and to be uncircumcised is of no importance; what is important is the keeping of God's commandments.

19. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

20. Everyone should stay in whatever state he was in when he was called.

20. Every one should remain in the state in which he was called.

21. So, if when you were called, you were a slave, do not think it matters -- even if you have a chance of freedom, you should prefer to make full use of your condition as a slave.

21. Were you a slave when called? Never mind. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.

22. You see, anyone who was called in the Lord while a slave, is a freeman of the Lord; and in the same way, anyone who was free when called, is a slave of Christ.

22. For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.

23. You have been bought at a price; do not be slaves now to any human being.

23. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

24. Each one of you, brothers, is to stay before God in the state in which you were called.

24. So, brethren, in whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God.

25. About people remaining virgin, I have no directions from the Lord, but I give my own opinion as a person who has been granted the Lord's mercy to be faithful.

25. Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

26. Well then, because of the stress which is weighing upon us, the right thing seems to be this: it is good for people to stay as they are.

26. I think that in view of the present distress it is well for a person to remain as he is.

27. If you are joined to a wife, do not seek to be released; if you are freed of a wife, do not look for a wife.

27. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage.

28. However, if you do get married, that is not a sin, and it is not sinful for a virgin to enter upon marriage. But such people will have the hardships consequent on human nature, and I would like you to be without that.

28. But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

29. What I mean, brothers, is that the time has become limited, and from now on, those who have spouses should live as though they had none;

29. I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,

30. and those who mourn as though they were not mourning; those who enjoy life as though they did not enjoy it; those who have been buying property as though they had no possessions;

30. and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,

31. and those who are involved with the world as though they were people not engrossed in it. Because this world as we know it is passing away.

31. and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away.

32. I should like you to have your minds free from all worry. The unmarried man gives his mind to the Lord's affairs and to how he can please the Lord;

32. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;

33. but the man who is married gives his mind to the affairs of this world and to how he can please his wife, and he is divided in mind.

33. but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife,

34. So, too, the unmarried woman, and the virgin, gives her mind to the Lord's affairs and to being holy in body and spirit; but the married woman gives her mind to the affairs of this world and to how she can please her husband.

34. and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband.

35. I am saying this only to help you, not to put a bridle on you, but so that everything is as it should be, and you are able to give your undivided attention to the Lord.

35. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

36. If someone with strong passions thinks that he is behaving badly towards his fiance'e and that things should take their due course, he should follow his desires. There is no sin in it; they should marry.

36. If any one thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry -- it is no sin.

37. But if he stands firm in his resolution, without any compulsion but with full control of his own will, and decides to let her remain as his fiance'e, then he is acting well.

37. But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.

38. In other words, he who marries his fiance'e is doing well, and he who does not, better still.

38. So that he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.

39. A wife is tied as long as her husband is alive. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anybody she likes, only it must be in the Lord.

39. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

40. She would be happier if she stayed as she is, to my way of thinking -- and I believe that I too have the Spirit of God.

40. But in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I have the Spirit of God.