1 Corinthians 7:1-19

English Standard Version

Principles for Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ^(A)“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^(B)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^(C)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, ^(D)so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶Now as a concession, ^(E)not a command, I say this.^[a] ⁷^(F)I wish that all were ^(G)as I myself am. But ^(H)each has his own gift from God, ^(I)one of one kind and one of another.

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

¹⁰To the married ^(M)I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): ^(N)the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does, ^(O)she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and ^(P)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. ^(Q)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^[b] ^(R)to peace. ¹⁶For how do you know, wife, ^(S)whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

¹⁷Only let each person lead the life^[c] ^(T)that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ^(U)This is my rule in ^(V)all the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? ^(W)Let him not seek circumcision. ¹⁹^(X)For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but ^(Y)keeping the commandments of God.