Parallel Bible results for "1 corinthians 7"

1 Corinthians 7

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 Now to deal with the questions you wrote about: "Is it good for a man to keep away from women?"

2 Well, because of the danger of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

3 The husband should give his wife what she is entitled to in the marriage relationship, and the wife should do the same for her husband.

4 The wife is not in charge of her own body, but her husband is; likewise, the husband is not in charge of his own body, but his wife is.

5 Do not deprive each other, except for a limited time, by mutual agreement, and then only so as to have extra time for prayer; but afterwards, come together again. Otherwise, because of your lack of self-control, you may succumb to the Adversary's temptation.

6 I am giving you this as a suggestion, not as a command.

7 Actually, I wish everyone were like me; but each has his own gift from God, one this, another that.

8 Now to the single people and the widows I say that it is fine if they remain unmarried like me;

9 but if they can't exercise self-control, they should get married; because it is better to get married than to keep burning with sexual desire.

10 To those who are married I have a command, and it is not from me but from the Lord: a woman is not to separate herself from her husband

11 But if she does separate herself, she is to remain single or be reconciled with her husband. Also, a husband is not to leave his wife.

12 To the rest I say - I, not the Lord: if any brother has a wife who is not a believer, and she is satisfied to go on living with him, he should not leave her.

13 Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband who is satisfied to go on living with her, she is not to leave him.

14 For the unbelieving husband has been set aside for God by the wife, and the unbelieving wife has been set aside for God by the brother - otherwise your children would be "unclean," but as it is, they are set aside for God.

15 But if the unbelieving spouse separates himself, let him be separated. In circumstances like these, the brother or sister is not enslaved - God has called you to a life of peace.

16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

17 Only let each person live the life the Lord has assigned him and live it in the condition he was in when God called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the congregations.

18 Was someone already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not try to remove the marks of his circumcision. Was someone uncircumcised when he was called? He shouldn't undergo b'rit-milah.

19 Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing; what does mean something is keeping God's commandments.

20 Each person should remain in the condition he was in when he was called.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Well, don't let it bother you; although if you can gain your freedom, take advantage of the opportunity.

22 For a person who was a slave when he was called is the Lord's freedman; likewise, someone who was a free man when he was called is a slave of the Messiah.

23 You were bought at a price, so do not become slaves of other human beings.

24 Brothers, let each one remain with God in the condition in which he was called.

25 Now the question about the unmarried: I do not have a command from the Lord, but I offer an opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is worthy to be trusted.

26 I suppose that in a time of stress like the present it is good for a person to stay as he is.

27 That means that if a man has a wife, he should not seek to be free of her; and if he is unmarried, he should not look for a wife.

28 But if you marry you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. It is just that those who get married will have the normal problems of married life, and I would rather spare you.

29 What I am saying, brothers, is that there is not much time left: from now on a man with a wife should live as if he had none -

30 and those who are sad should live as if they weren't, those who are happy as if they weren't,

31 and those who deal in worldly affairs as if not engrossed in them - because the present scheme of things in this world won't last much longer.

32 What I want is for you to be free of concern. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord's affairs,

33 with how to please the Lord; but the married man concerns himself with the world's affairs, with how to please his wife;

34 and he finds himself split. Likewise the woman who is no longer married or the girl who has never been married concerns herself with the Lord's affairs, with how to be holy both physically and spiritually; but the married woman concerns herself with the world's affairs, with how to please her husband.

35 I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you - I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve the Lord with undivided devotion.

36 Now if a man thinks he is behaving dishonorably by treating his fiancée this way, and if there is strong sexual desire, so that marriage is what ought to happen; then let him do what he wants - he is not sinning: let them get married.

37 But if a man has firmly made up his mind, being under no compulsion but having complete control over his will, if he has decided within himself to keep his fiancée a virgin, he will be doing well.

38 So the man who marries his fiancée will do well, and the man who doesn't marry will do better.

39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if the husband dies she is free to marry anyone she wishes, provided he is a believer in the Lord.

40 However, in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains unmarried, and in saying this I think I have God's Spirit.

The Bible in Basic English BBE

1 Now, as to the things in your letter to me: It is good for a man to have nothing to do with a woman.

2 But because of the desires of the flesh, let every man have his wife, and every woman her husband.

3 Let the husband give to the wife what is right; and let the wife do the same to the husband.

4 The wife has not power over her body, but the husband; and in the same way the husband has not power over his body, but the wife.

5 Do not keep back from one another what is right, but only for a short time, and by agreement, so that you may give yourselves to prayer, and come together again; so that Satan may not get the better of you through your loss of self-control.

6 But this I say as my opinion, and not as an order of the Lord.

7 It is my desire that all men might be even as I am. But every man has the power of his special way of life given him by God, one in this way and one in that.

8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them to be even as I am.

9 But if they have not self-control let them get married; for married life is better than the burning of desire.

10 But to the married I give orders, though not I but the Lord, that the wife may not go away from her husband

11 (Or if she goes away from him, let her keep unmarried, or be united to her husband again); and that the husband may not go away from his wife.

12 But to the rest I say, and not the Lord; If a brother has a wife who is not a Christian, and it is her desire to go on living with him, let him not go away from her.

13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a Christian, and it is his desire to go on living with her, let her not go away from her husband.

14 For the husband who has not faith is made holy through his Christian wife, and the wife who is not a Christian is made holy through the brother: if not, your children would be unholy, but now are they holy.

15 But if the one who is not a Christian has a desire to go away, let it be so: the brother or the sister in such a position is not forced to do one thing or the other: but it is God's pleasure that we may be at peace with one another.

16 For how may you be certain, O wife, that you will not be the cause of salvation to your husband? or you, O husband, that you may not do the same for your wife?

17 Only, as the Lord has given to a man, and as is the purpose of God for him, so let him go on living. And these are my orders for all the churches.

18 If any man who is a Christian has had circumcision, let him keep so; and if any man who is a Christian has not had circumcision, let him make no change.

19 Circumcision is nothing, and its opposite is nothing, but only doing the orders of God is of value.

20 Let every man keep the position in which he has been placed by God.

21 If you were a servant when you became a Christian, let it not be a grief to you; but if you have a chance to become free, make use of it.

22 For he who was a servant when he became a Christian is the Lord's free man; and he who was free when he became a Christian is the Lord's servant.

23 It is the Lord who has made payment for you: be not servants of men.

24 My brothers, let every man keep in that condition which is the purpose of God for him.

25 Now about virgins I have no orders from the Lord: but I give my opinion as one to whom the Lord has given mercy to be true to him.

26 In my opinion then, because of the present trouble, it is good for a man to keep as he is.

27 If you are married to a wife, make no attempt to get free from her: if you are free from a wife, do not take a wife.

28 If you get married it is not a sin; and if an unmarried woman gets married it is not a sin. But those who do so will have trouble in the flesh. But I will not be hard on you.

29 But I say this, my brothers, the time is short; and from now it will be wise for those who have wives to be as if they had them not;

30 And for those who are in sorrow, to give no signs of it; and for those who are glad, to give no signs of joy; and for those who are getting property, to be as if they had nothing;

31 And for those who make use of the world, not to be using it fully; for this world's way of life will quickly come to an end.

32 But it is my desire for you to be free from cares. The unmarried man gives his mind to the things of the Lord, how he may give pleasure to the Lord:

33 But the married man gives his attention to the things of this world, how he may give pleasure to his wife.

34 And the wife is not the same as the virgin. The virgin gives her mind to the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and in spirit: but the married woman takes thought for the things of the world, how she may give pleasure to her husband.

35 Now I say this for your profit; not to make things hard for you, but because of what is right, and so that you may be able to give all your attention to the things of the Lord.

36 But if, in any man's opinion, he is not doing what is right for his virgin, if she is past her best years, and there is need for it, let him do what seems right to him; it is no sin; let them be married.

37 But the man who is strong in mind and purpose, who is not forced but has control over his desires, does well if he comes to the decision to keep her a virgin.

38 So then, he who gets married to his virgin does well, and he who keeps her unmarried does better.

39 It is right for a wife to be with her husband as long as he is living; but when her husband is dead, she is free to be married to another; but only to a Christian.

40 But it will be better for her to keep as she is, in my opinion: and it seems to me that I have the Spirit of God.