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1 Corinthians 7:32-40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
1 Corinthians 7:32-40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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,(A) 33 but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit, but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband.(B) 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks that he is behaving indecently toward his fiancée,[a] if his passions are strong and so it has to be, let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry. 37 But if someone stands firm in his resolve, being under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiancée,[b] he will do well. 38 So then, he who marries his fiancée[c] does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do better.
39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies,[d] she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord.(C) 40 But in my opinion she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I, too, have the Spirit of God.
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1 Corinthians 7:32-40
New International Version
1 Corinthians 7:32-40
New International Version
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs(A)—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 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.(B) But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided(C) devotion to the Lord.
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.(D) 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,(E) but he who does not marry her does better.[b]
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives.(F) But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.(G) 40 In my judgment,(H) she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 7:36 Or if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage
- 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.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
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