Old/New Testament

Of marriage, virginity, and widowhood.

7 As for the things you wrote to me about: it is good for a man not to touch a woman. ² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his wife, and let every woman have her husband. ³ Let the man give due affection to his wife; likewise also the wife to the man. ⁴ The wife does not have right over her own body, but the husband, and likewise the husband does not have right over his own body, but the wife. ⁵ Do not withdraw yourselves one from another, unless it be with consent for a time to give yourselves to fasting and prayer. And afterward, come again to the same thing, lest Satan tempt you through your lack of self control.

⁶ This I say by way of concession, and not of commandment. ⁷ For I would that all men were as I myself am. But every one has his own gift from God – one of this kind, another of that. ⁸ I say to the unmarried men and widows that it is good for them if they remain just as I do. ⁹ But if they cannot abstain, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰ To the married command not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not separate herself from the man. ¹¹ But if she separates herself, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband again. And let not the husband put his wife away from him.

¹² To the rest I, and not the Lord, speak. If any brother has a wife who does not believe, if she is content to dwell with him, let him not put her away. ¹³ And the woman who has an unbelieving husband, if he consents to dwell with her, let her not put him away. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean; but now they are pure. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not bound to such. God has called us in peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, O woman, whether you will save that man or not? Or how do you know, O man, whether you will save that woman or not? – ¹⁷ but even as God has granted to each.

As the Lord has called every person, so let him walk; and I so ordain in all the congregations. ¹⁸ If a man is called when circumcised, let him add nothing to it. If a man is called when uncircumcised, let him not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing, uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God is everything.