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1 Corinthians 7:5–10

vDo not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, wso that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Now as a concession, xnot a command, I say this.1 yI wish that all were zas I myself am. But aeach has his own gift from God, bone of one kind and one of another.

To the unmarried and the widows I say that cit is good for them to remain single, das I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, ethey should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married fI give this charge (not I, but the Lord): gthe wife should not separate from her husband

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1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — The New International Version (NIV)

Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — King James Version (KJV 1900)

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. 10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — New Living Translation (NLT)

Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.

So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.

10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — The New King James Version (NKJV)

Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment. For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — New Century Version (NCV)

Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other, unless you both agree to stay away from sexual relations for a time so you can give your time to prayer. Then come together again so Satan cannot tempt you because of a lack of self-control. I say this to give you permission to stay away from sexual relations for a time. It is not a command to do so. I wish that everyone were like me, but each person has his own gift from God. One has one gift, another has another gift.

Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for them to stay unmarried as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.

10 Now I give this command for the married people. (The command is not from me; it is from the Lord.) A wife should not leave her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — American Standard Version (ASV)

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency. But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment. Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.

But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they have not continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn. 10 But unto the married I give charge, yea not I, but the Lord, That the wife depart not from her husband

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — 1890 Darby Bible (DARBY)

Defraud not one another, unless, it may be, by consent for a time, that ye may devote yourselves to prayer, and again be together, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency. But this I say, as consenting to, not as commanding it. Now I wish all men to be even as myself: but every one has his own gift of God: one man thus, and another thus. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them that they remain even as I. But if they have not control over themselves, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn.

10 But to the married I enjoin, not I, but the Lord, Let not wife be separated from husband;

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Don’t withhold yourselves from each other unless you agree to do so for a set time to devote yourselves to prayer. Then you should get back together so that Satan doesn’t use your lack of self-control to tempt you. What I have just said is not meant as a command but as a suggestion. I would like everyone to be like me. However, each person has a special gift from God, and these gifts vary from person to person. 

I say to those who are not married, especially to widows: It is good for you to stay single like me. However, if you cannot control your desires, you should get married. It is better for you to marry than to burn ⸤with sexual desire⸥. 

10 I pass this command along (not really I, but the Lord): A wife shouldn’t leave her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Do not deprive one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say the following as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God, one person in this way and another in that way.

I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

10 I command the married —not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.

10 To the married I give this command—not I but the Lord—that the wife should not separate from her husband

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — The Lexham English Bible (LEB)

Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then you should be together again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. But I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish all people could be like myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this way and another in that way.

Now I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.

10 To the married I command—not I, but the Lord—a wife must not separate from her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — New International Reader’s Version (1998) (NIrV)

You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other except when you both agree to do so. And that should be only to give yourselves time to pray for a while. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt you when you can’t control yourselves.

I say those things to you as my advice, not as a command. I wish all of you were like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift. Another has that.

I speak to those who are not married. I also speak to widows. It is good for you to stay single like me. But if you can’t control yourselves, you should get married. It is better to get married than to burn with sexual longing.

10 I give a command to those who are married. It is a direct command from the Lord, not from me. A wife must not leave her husband.

1 Corinthians 7:5–10 — New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (NASB95)

Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.

But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.

But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband


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