1 Corinthians 7:1-19

Easy-to-Read Version

About Marriage

7 Now I will discuss the things you wrote me about. You asked if it is better for a man not to have any sexual relations at all. ² But sexual sin is a danger, so each man should enjoy his own wife, and each woman should enjoy her own husband. ³ The husband should give his wife what she deserves as his wife. And the wife should give her husband what he deserves as her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have power over her own body. Her husband has the power over her body. And the husband does not have power over his own body. His wife has the power over his body. ⁵ Don’t refuse to give your bodies to each other. But you might both agree to stay away from sex for a while so that you can give your time to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not be able to tempt you in your weakness. ⁶ I say this only to give you permission to be separated for a time. It is not a rule. ⁷ I wish everyone could be like me. But God has given each person a different ability. He makes some able to live one way, others to live a different way.

⁸ Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for you to stay single like me. ⁹ But if you cannot control your body, then you should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.

¹⁰ Now, I have a command for those who are married. Actually, it is not from me; it is what the Lord commanded. A wife should not leave her husband. ¹¹ But if a wife does leave, she should remain single or get back together with her husband. And a husband should not divorce his wife.

¹² The advice I have for the others is from me. The Lord did not give us any teaching about this. If you have a wife who is not a believer, you should not divorce her if she will continue to live with you. ¹³ And if you have a husband who is not a believer, you should not divorce him if he will continue to live with you. ¹⁴ The husband who is not a believer is set apart for God through his believing wife. And the wife who is not a believer is set apart for God through her believing husband. If this were not true, your children would be unfit for God’s use. But now they are set apart for him.

¹⁵ But if the husband or wife who is not a believer decides to leave, let them leave. When this happens, the brother or sister in Christ is free. God chose you to have a life of peace. ¹⁶ Wives, maybe you will save your husband; and husbands, maybe you will save your wife. You don’t know now what will happen later.

Live as God Called You

¹⁷ But each one of you should continue to live the way the Lord God has given you to live—the way you were when God chose you. I tell people in all the churches to follow this rule. ¹⁸ If a man was already circumcised when he was chosen, he should not change his circumcision. If a man was without circumcision when he was chosen, he should not be circumcised. ¹⁹ It is not important if anyone is circumcised or not. What is important is obeying God’s commands.