New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is well for a man not to touch a woman."
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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 cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
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But because of the desires of the flesh, let every man have his wife, and every woman her husband.
3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.
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Let the husband give to the wife what is right; and let the wife do the same to the husband.
4 For 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.
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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 deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
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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 This I say by way of concession, not of command.
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But this I say as my opinion, and not as an order of the Lord.
7 I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.
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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 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am.
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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 are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.
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But if they have not self-control let them get married; for married life is better than the burning of desire.
10 To the married I give this command—not I but the Lord—that the wife should not separate from her husband
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But to the married I give orders, though not I but the Lord, that the wife may not go away from her husband
11 (but if she does separate, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
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(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 To the rest I say—I and not the Lord—that if any believer has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.
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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 any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.
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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 unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.
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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 unbelieving partner separates, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace that God has called you.
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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 Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
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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 However that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches.
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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 Was 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? Let him not seek circumcision.
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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 uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything.
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Circumcision is nothing, and its opposite is nothing, but only doing the orders of God is of value.
20 Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called.
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Let every man keep the position in which he has been placed by God.
21 Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever.
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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 whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ.
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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 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters.
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It is the Lord who has made payment for you: be not servants of men.
24 In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.
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My brothers, let every man keep in that condition which is the purpose of God for him.
25 Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
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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 I think that, in view of the impending crisis, it is well for you to remain as you are.
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In my opinion then, because of the present trouble, it is good for a man to keep as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
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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 But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this life, and I would spare you that.
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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 I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none,
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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 those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions,
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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 those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
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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 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;
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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 is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife,
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But the married man gives his attention to the things of this world, how he may give pleasure to his wife.
34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband.
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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 I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.
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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 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his fiancee, if his passions are strong, and so it has to be, let him marry as he wishes; it is no sin. Let them marry.
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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 if someone stands firm in his resolve, being under no necessity but having his own desire under control, and has determined in his own mind to keep her as his fiancee, he will do well.
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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 marries his fiancee does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.
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So then, he who gets married to his virgin does well, and he who keeps her unmarried does better.
39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord.
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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 in my judgment she is more blessed if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
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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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.