Add parallel Print Page Options

25 Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.

Read full chapter

Concerning the Unmarried

25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord,(A) but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy(B) is trustworthy.

Read full chapter

I say this as a concession, not as a command.

Read full chapter

I say this as a concession, not as a command.(A)

Read full chapter

Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

Read full chapter

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Read full chapter

40 But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.

Read full chapter

40 In my judgment,(A) she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Read full chapter

I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.

Read full chapter

I am not commanding you,(A) but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace(B) of our Lord Jesus Christ,(C) that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,(D) so that you through his poverty might become rich.(E)

10 And here is my judgment(F) about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.(G)

Read full chapter

12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer[a] has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 7:12 Greek a brother.

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord):(A) If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

Read full chapter

17 Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.

Read full chapter

17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,(A) but as a fool.(B)

Read full chapter

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way,[a] we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Or ministry.

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

Therefore, since through God’s mercy(A) we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.(B) Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;(C) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.(D) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience(E) in the sight of God.

Read full chapter

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters[a] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2:17 Some manuscripts read the rest of the hucksters.

17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.(A) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,(B) as those sent from God.(C)

Read full chapter

10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

Read full chapter

10 But by the grace(A) of God I am what I am, and his grace to me(B) was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them(C)—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.(D)

Read full chapter

36 But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. 38 So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.

Read full chapter

36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning.(A) They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right,(B) but he who does not marry her does better.[b]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 7:36 Or if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage
  2. 1 Corinthians 7:38 Or 36 If anyone thinks he is not treating his daughter properly, and if she is getting along in years (or if her passions are too strong), and he feels she ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. He should let her get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind to keep the virgin unmarried—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who gives his virgin in marriage does right, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.

34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband.

Read full chapter

34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.(A) But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.

Read full chapter

28 But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.

Read full chapter

28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned;(A) and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

Read full chapter