Faithfulness Whether Single or Married

¹Now concerning what y’all wrote about: “It is excellent for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”

²But because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own woman, and let each woman have her own man.

³The man must give what is owed to the woman, and likewise also the woman to the man.

⁴The woman doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the man does. Similarly, the man doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the woman does.

⁵Y’all must not deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, so that y’all may devote yourselves* to prayer. Then y’all must come together again, so that Satan doesn’t tempt y’all through your* lack of self-control.

⁶But this I say as a concession, not as a commandment.

⁷Yet I wish that all humans were as I am. However, each person has their own gift from God, one has this, another that.

⁸But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is excellent for them if they remain as I am.

⁹But if they don’t have self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰But to the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord) that the woman not leave her man.

¹¹But if she leaves, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her man. And a man must not divorce his woman.

¹²But to the rest I—not the Lord—say, if any brother has an unbelieving woman, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.

¹³And if a woman has an unbelieving man, and he consents to live with her, let her not divorce the man.

¹⁴For the unbelieving man is sanctified through the woman, and the unbelieving woman is sanctified through the brother. Otherwise y’all’s children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵Yet if the unbeliever leaves, let them leave. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but in peace God has called y’all.

¹⁶For how do you know, woman, whether you will save your man? Or how do you know, man, whether you will save your woman?

Contentment in the Current Situation

¹⁷Nevertheless, as the Lord has assigned to each person and as God has called them, so they should walk. This is how I direct all the churches.

¹⁸Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was anyone uncircumcised when he was called? He should not get circumcised.

¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is keeping God’s commandments.

²⁰Let each person stay in the calling in which they were called.

²¹Were you called while a slave? Don’t let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, you should take it.

²²For the one who was called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freed person. Likewise the one who was called being free is Christ’s slave.

²³Y’all were bought with a price. Y’all must not become slaves of humans.

²⁴Siblings, let each person, in whatever condition they were called, stay in that condition with God.

Concerning Singleness

²⁵Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy.

²⁶Therefore I think that because of the present distress, it is excellent for a man to remain as he is.

²⁷Are you bound to a woman? Don’t seek to be released. Are you free from a woman? Don’t seek a woman.

²⁸But if you get married, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have pressures in life, and I want to spare y’all.

²⁹But I say this, siblings, the time is short. From now on, those who have wives should be as though they had none;

³⁰and those who weep, as though they didn’t weep; and those who rejoice, as though they didn’t rejoice; and those who buy, as though they didn’t own anything;

³¹and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world is passing away.

³²But I want y’all to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he can please the Lord;

³³but the married man is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his woman,

³⁴and he is divided. A virgin or a single woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman cares about the things of the world, how she may please her man.

³⁵I am saying this for y’all’s own benefit, not to restrict y’all, but toward an honorable devotion to the Lord that is without distraction.

³⁶But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the bloom of youth, and it seems necessary, let him do as he wishes. He doesn’t sin. Let them get married.

³⁷But he who stands steadfast in his heart, and is under no distress but has authority over his own will, and who has determined in his own heart to keep her as a virgin, does well.

³⁸Therefore he who marries his own virgin does well, but the one who doesn’t marry does better.

³⁹A woman is bound as long as her man lives, but if the man dies, she is free to be married to whomever she wishes, only in the Lord.

⁴⁰But in my opinion, she is happier if she stays as she is, and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.