Sexual Immorality

¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(A) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”^(B) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,^(C) and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,^(D) and he will raise us also.^{(E) 15} Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?^(F) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”^{[a](G) 17} But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.^[b](H)

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality.^(I) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.^{(J) 19} Do you not know that your bodies are temples^(K) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;^{(L) 20} you were bought at a price.^(M) Therefore honor God with your bodies.^(N)

Concerning Married Life

7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”^{(O) 2} But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. ³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife,^(P) and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time,^(Q) so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan^(R) will not tempt you^(S) because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command.^{(T) 7} I wish that all of you were as I am.^(U) But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.^(V)

⁸ Now to the unmarried^[c] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.^{(W) 9} But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,^(X) for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.