Principles of Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote [fn]to me: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” 2 But because of the cases of fornication, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 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. 5 Do not deprive one another, except by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to [fn]fasting and [fn]prayer and then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 Now I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 [fn]For I wish that all people were as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one person [fn]in this manner and another in that manner.

8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them if they remain even as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 Now to the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does separate, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and a husband must not divorce his wife.

12 Now to the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to dwell with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he consents to dwell with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through [fn]her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving spouse separates, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not enslaved in such cases. God has called [fn]us to live in peace. 16 For how do yoʋ know, O wife, whether yoʋ will save yoʋr husband? Or how do yoʋ know, O husband, whether yoʋ will save yoʋr wife?