1 Corinthians 7–8

Principles for Marriage

7Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ^t“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ²But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. ^3uThe husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ^5vDo 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.

⁶Now as a concession, ^xnot a command, I say this.^{1 7y}I wish that all were ^zas I myself am. But ^aeach has his own gift from God, ^bone of one kind and one of another.

⁸To the unmarried and the widows I say that ^cit is good for them to remain single, ^das I am. ⁹But if they cannot exercise self-control, ^ethey should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰To the married ^fI give this charge (not I, but the Lord): ^gthe wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does, ^hshe should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and ^gthe husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. ⁱOtherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you^{2 j}to peace. ¹⁶For how do you know, wife, ^kwhether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

¹⁷Only let each person lead the life^{3 l}that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ^mThis is my rule in ⁿall the churches. ¹⁸Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? ^oLet him not seek circumcision. ^19pFor neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but ^qkeeping the commandments of God. ^20rEach one should remain in the condition in which he was called. ²¹Were you a bondservant⁴ when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) ²²For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is ^sa freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is ^ta bondservant of Christ. ^23uYou were bought with a price; ^vdo not become bondservants of men. ²⁴So, brothers,^{6 w}in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

The Unmarried and the Widowed

²⁵Now concerning⁷ the betrothed,^{8 x}I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as ^yone who by the Lord’s mercy is ^ztrustworthy. ²⁶I think that in view of the present⁹ distress ^ait is good for a person to remain as he is. ²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman¹⁰ marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. ²⁹This is what I mean, brothers: ^bthe appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy ^cas though they had no goods, ³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For ^dthe present form of this world is passing away.

³²I want you to be ^efree from anxieties. ^fThe unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵I say this for your own benefit, ^gnot to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

³⁶If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,¹¹ if his¹² passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. ³⁷But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. ³⁸So then he who marries his betrothed ^hdoes well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

³⁹ⁱA wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only ^jin the Lord. ⁴⁰Yet ^kin my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think ^lthat I too have the Spirit of God.

Food Offered to Idols

8Now concerning^{1 m}food offered to idols: we know that ⁿ“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” ^opuffs up, ^pbut love builds up. ^2qIf anyone imagines that he knows something, ^rhe does not yet know as he ought to know. ³But if anyone loves God, ^she is known by God.²

⁴Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ^t“an idol has no real existence,” and that ^u“there is no God but one.” ⁵For although there may be ^vso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ⁶yet ^wfor us there is one God, the Father, ^xfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and ^yone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and ^zthrough whom we exist.

⁷However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, ^athrough former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and ^btheir conscience, being weak, is defiled. ^8cFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹But take care ^dthat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block ^eto the weak. ¹⁰For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating³ in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,⁴ if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹And so by your knowledge this weak person is ^fdestroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹²Thus, sinning against your brothers⁵ and ^gwounding their conscience when it is weak, ^hyou sin against Christ. ¹³Therefore, ⁱif food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.