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. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.(B)

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.(C) 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save(D) your husband?(E) Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

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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. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband[b] brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife[c] is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you[d] to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

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Footnotes

  1. 7:12 Greek a brother.
  2. 7:14 Greek the brother.
  3. 7:15a Greek the brother or sister.
  4. 7:15b Some manuscripts read us.