1 Corinthians 6:12-7:16

English Standard Version

Flee Sexual Immorality

¹²^(A)“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³^(B)“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one ^(C)and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but ^(D)for the Lord, and ^(E)the Lord for the body. ¹⁴And ^(F)God raised the Lord and ^(G)will also raise us up ^(H)by his power. ¹⁵Do you not know that ^(I)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined^[a] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ^(J)“The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷But he who is joined to the Lord ^(K)becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸^(L)Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin^[b] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person ^(M)sins against his own body. ¹⁹Or ^(N)do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? ^(O)You are not your own, ²⁰^(P)for you were bought with a price. ^(Q)So glorify God in your body.

Principles for Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ^(R)“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ²But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. ³^(S)The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ⁵^(T)Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, ^(U)so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶Now as a concession, ^(V)not a command, I say this.^[c] ⁷^(W)I wish that all were ^(X)as I myself am. But ^(Y)each has his own gift from God, ^(Z)one of one kind and one of another.

⁸To the unmarried and the widows I say that ^(AA)it is good for them to remain single, ^(AB)as I am. ⁹But if they cannot exercise self-control, ^(AC)they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰To the married ^(AD)I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): ^(AE)the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does, ^(AF)she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and ^(AG)the husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²To the rest I say (I, 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. ¹³If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. ^(AH)Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you^[d] ^(AI)to peace. ¹⁶For how do you know, wife, ^(AJ)whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?