Marriage rules and advice
1 Now concerning what you wrote: “It is good for a man not to be intimate with a woman.” 2 On the contrary: Because there is so much harlotry, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 The husband is obligated to give his wife what is rightfully hers, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife is not the only one with authority over her body; her husband has it too. Likewise, the husband does not have exclusive authority to his body, but shares it with his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other unless you both agree to it so you can devote yourselves to prayer, and only for a limited time, so that Satan cannot tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 Now I’m only saying this as a concession, not a command. 7 I would prefer everyone to be as I am, but each has their own gift from God; one has this while another has that.
8 Now let me say this to the unmarried and the widows: Ideally, they should remain as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry, because it’s better to marry than to be consumed with desire.
10 Back to the married (and this is not from me but from the Master): That woman must not separate from her husband. 11 Yet if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And the husband is not to leave his wife.
12 Now to all of you (and this is from me, not the Master): If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she agrees to stay with him, he must not leave her. 13 Likewise, if any sister has an unbelieving husband who wishes to stay with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been made holy by the sister, and the unbelieving wife has been made holy by the brother. Otherwise, your children would be impure, whereas now they are holy. 15 Yet if the unbeliever wants to leave, let them leave. A brother or sister is not to be enslaved in such cases; instead, God has called you to live in peace. 16 After all, sister, you do not know that you will save your husband; brother, you do not know that you will save your wife.
Dealing with life events
17 Let each one keep going according to what the Master apportioned and God has called them; this is my prescription for all the Congregations. 18 Was anyone circumcised? You can’t take it back. Were you uncircumcised? Don’t be circumcised. 19 Whether you’re circumcised or not is irrelevant; all that matters is keeping God’s commands. 20 So let each one remain in the place to which they were called. 21 If you were called while a slave, don’t let it concern you— but if you get a chance to be freed, take it! 22 For a slave of the Master is freed by the Master; a free person united with Christ is his slave. 23 You were bought at a steep price, so do not become slaves of people. 24 Again, let each one remain as they were when God called them.
Singleness as the ideal Christian state
25 Now concerning women of marriageable age: I have no decree from the Master so I will give you my opinion as one who has been shown by the Master’s mercy to be faithful. 26 I think it’s best for people to stay as they are at present. 27 But if you are pledged to marry, don’t call it off. If you are not pledged to marry, don’t look for a mate. 28 Yet if you do get married you have not sinned. I just want to spare you an added burden in this life. 29 What I’m trying to tell you is that the time is short. It’s as if the married are single, 30 the bereaved don’t cry, the happy don’t celebrate, the shoppers don’t buy, 31 and those who enjoy the world are left wanting, for the fabric of the world is changing.
32 Yet I don’t want you to be overly concerned about this. The unmarried one can concentrate on how to please the Master, 33 but the married one has to also be concerned about worldly things because they must please their mate, 34 so they are divided between the two. The single woman and the woman of marriageable age can concentrate on the things of the Master, that she may be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman has to attend to worldly things, to pleasing her husband. 35 Now I’m not saying this to restrict you, but for your own good, so you will focus on being respectable and attentive to the Master.
36 If that man is behaving indecently toward his fiancée and has gone too far, then let it happen; it is not wrong to marry. 37 But if he has made up his mind and does not feel compelled to marry but can control himself, he does well. 38 Of course, if he marries he also does well, but if he doesn’t, he does even better.
39 That woman is bound as long as her husband lives, but if he dies, she is free to marry whoever she wants— but he must be a believer. 39 40 Yet in my opinion I think she will be happier if she stays single— and I’m pretty sure I have the Spirit of God.
- 39 Paul appears to be discussing a woman whose husband is apparently near death; if she were Jewish then she’d be concerned about whether to obey the Law that commanded her to marry one of her husband’s brothers.