²⁴ This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh.

²² For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. ²³ A husband is the head of his wife like Christ is head of the church, that is, the savior of the body. ²⁴ So wives submit to their husbands in everything like the church submits to Christ. ²⁵ As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. ²⁶ He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. ²⁷ He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. ²⁸ That’s how husbands ought to love their wives—in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church ³⁰ because we are parts of his body. ³¹ This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body.^{[a] 32} Marriage is a significant allegory,^[b] and I’m applying it to Christ and the church. ³³ In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect^[c] their husbands.

⁵ A newly married man doesn’t have to march in battle. Neither should any related duties be placed on him. He is to live free of such responsibilities for one year, so he can bring joy to his new wife.

⁴ Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the creator made them male and female?^{[a] 5} And God said, ‘Because of this a man should leave his father and mother and be joined together with his wife, and the two will be one flesh.’^{[b] 6} So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, humans must not pull apart what God has put together.”