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The First Letter to the Corinthians 7

7 Moving on to what you asked me about, in your letter you said that it is appropriate for people not to have sex with each other. 2 On the other hand, people often desire to have sex, even improper sex. Because of that, a husband should stay married to his own wife, and a wife should stay married to her own husband. 3 Husbands should regularly have sex with their wives. Similarly, wives should regularly have sex with their husbands. 4 Wives’ bodies belong to their husbands, not to themselves. Similarly, husbands’ bodies belong to their wives, not to themselves. 5 You should only stop having sex regularly when both of you agree to do so for a brief time. You should only do this when you want to focus on praying to God, and you should soon resume having sex regularly. If you do not do this quickly, Satan will use how you desire to have sex to entice you to do what is wrong.

6 I do not command you to stop having sex regularly in order to focus on praying. Rather, I am only allowing you to do so. 7 If it were up to me, all people would be like me and remain unmarried. However, God gives each person his or her own way to live. Some people live in one way, while other people live in another way.

8 Here I am speaking to people who have not married and to women whose husbands have died. The best thing for these people is to stay unmarried like I do. 9 However, some people will struggle to control how they desire to have sex. These people should get married, because that is a better choice than constantly desiring to have sex.

10 Here I am speaking what the Lord himself said to people who have gotten married. I require the wives to stay with their husbands. 11 Now whenever they do not stay with their husbands, they should not marry again, or they should go back to their husbands. Further, husbands should stay with their wives.

12 Now to the rest of you who have a spouse who is not a believer, the Lord did not speak about this, so I am speaking what I myself command. Some fellow believers have unbelieving wives, and the wives may wish to stay with their believing husbands. In this situation, the husbands should stay with their wives. 13 Similarly, some fellow believers have unbelieving husbands, and the husbands may wish to stay with their believing wives. In this situation, the wives should stay with their husbands. 14 You should remain with an unbelieving husband or wife, because God considers the unbelieving husband to be an acceptable spouse for the believing wife. Similarly, God considers the unbelieving wife to be an acceptable spouse for the believing husband. Because of this, God treats the children in this situation just like he treats the children of two believing parents. If what I have said were not true, God would treat the children in this situation just like he treats the children of two unbelieving parents.

15 On the other hand, some unbelieving husbands or wives may want to leave their believing spouses. In this situation, the believing spouses should allow them to leave. The believing spouses do not have to stay with their unbelieving husbands or wives. In any situation like this, remember that God requires us to be peaceful people. 16 You should allow an unbelieving spouse to leave because each wife does not know whether she can help her husband to believe in Jesus. Each husband also does not know whether he can help his wife to believe in Jesus.

17 In general, all people need to behave in ways that fit with what the Lord has appointed them to do and with how God requires them to act. I require people to follow this teaching in every group of believers that I visit. 18 There are some people whom others circumcised before they believed in Jesus. These people should not try to become uncircumcised again. There are other people whom others did not circumcise before they believed in Jesus. These people should not try to become circumcised. 19 Whether a person has had someone circumcise them or not does not matter to us or to God. On the other hand, doing what God requires of us does matter to us and to God. 20 All people should serve God faithfully while doing the normal things they were already doing when God changed them. 21 Some people were slaves when they believed in Jesus. These people should not worry about being slaves. On the other hand, they should make use of any chance they have to become free. 22 Do not worry about your social position, because the Lord considers all people who were slaves when they believed in him to be free people now. Similarly, the Messiah considers all people who were free people when they believed in him to be his slaves now. 23 When Jesus died for you, it was as if God paid money to buy you. Because of that, you should not serve other humans, but only God. 24 My fellow believers, all people should serve God faithfully while doing the normal things they were already doing when God changed them.

25 I am now moving on to speak about those who have not gotten married. On this issue, I do not have anything that the Lord said to tell you. However, I will tell you what I think is best. I do this because God has acted kindly towards me by making me a trustworthy teacher. 26 What I suggest is that people should not change how they are living. I say this because I know that dangerous things are going to happen soon. 27 Some people have gotten engaged. They should not separate. Other people have never gotten engaged. They should not try to become engaged. 28 However, a single man or woman who gets married does not sin. I only advise you against getting married because people who get married will experience troubles while they live.

29 My fellow believers, what I am about to tell you is important. The end times are not far away. Therefore, until then, each man who has a wife should live like a man who does not have a wife. 30 Each person who cries should live like a person who does not cry. Each person who is glad should live like a person who is not glad. Each person who acquires anything should live like a person who does not own anything. 31 Each person who utilizes worldly things should live like a person who does not utilize these things. You should act in these ways because God will soon abolish the worldly way of doing things.

32 I want you to care about few things. Single men care about what they can do to serve the Lord. 33 On the other hand, married men care about worldly things, particularly how they can serve their wives. Because of this, they care about two different things: serving their wives and serving the Lord. Single women and women who have never gotten married 34 care about what they can do to serve the Lord. Their goal is to be completely holy. On the other hand, married women care about worldly things, particularly how they can serve their husbands. 35 I have said these things because I think they are helpful for you. I do not want to force you into acting in only one way. Rather, I want you to be able to act honorably and serve the Lord well and attentively.

36 In some cases, an engaged man may consider that he might act in sexually improper ways with his fiancée. Further, his fiancée may be fully mature and ready to have sex. In these cases, here is what to do: the man should marry his fiancé. He does not sin when he does this, and the two of them should get married. 37 In other cases, an engaged man may have made up his mind, and no person or thing has forced him not to marry. He can control what he desires, and he has decided for himself not to marry. In this case, he can rightly choose not to marry his fiancée. 38 In the end, any man who gets married to his fiancée does a good thing. Further, any man who does not get married to his fiancée does a better thing.

39 Wives must stay married to their husbands unless their husbands die. Then, they may marry any believing man whom they want to marry. 40 However, I think that any woman whose husband has died will be more blessed if she does not marry again. While that is my opinion, I think that God’s Spirit speaks through me.

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