1 Corinthians 7

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.	1 Now for the questions about which you wrote. Yes, it is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman;
2 But, because of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.	2 yet to avoid immorality every man should have his own wife and every woman her own husband.
3 A husband should fulfill his obligation to his wife, and a wife should also act similarly toward her husband.	3 The husband must give to his wife what she has a right to expect, and so too the wife to her husband.
4 It is not the wife, but the husband, who has power over her body. But, similarly also, it is not the husband, but the wife, who has power over his body.	4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and in the same way, thehusband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5 So, do not fail in your obligations to one another, except perhaps by consent, for a limited time, so that you may empty yourselves for prayer. And then, return together again, lest Satan tempt you by means of your abstinence.	5 You must not deprive each other, except by mutual consent for a limited time, to leave yourselves freefor prayer, and to come together again afterwards; otherwise Satan may take advantage of any lack of self-control to put you to the test.
6 But I am saying this, neither as an indulgence, nor as a commandment.	6 I am telling you this as a concession, not an order.
7 For I would prefer it if you were all like myself. But each person has his proper gift from God: one in this way, yet another in that way.	7 I should stil like everyone to be as I am myself; but everyone has his own gift from God, one this kindand the next something different.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them, if they would remain as they are, just as I also am.	8 To the unmarried and to widows I say: it is good for them to stay as they are, like me.
9 But if they cannot restrain themselves, they should marry. For it is better to marry, than to be burned.	9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry, since it is better to be married than to be burntup.
10 But to those who have been joined in matrimony, it is not I who commands you, but the Lord: a wife is not to separate from her husband.	10 To the married I give this ruling, and this is not mine but the Lord's: a wife must not be separated fromher husband-
11 But if she has separated from him, she must remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband should not divorce his wife.	11 or if she has already left him, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband -- anda husband must not divorce his wife.
12 Concerning the rest, I am speaking, not the Lord. If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.	12 For other cases these instructions are my own, not the Lord's. If one of the brothers has a wife who isnot a believer, and she is wil ing to stay with him, he should not divorce her;
13 And if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce her husband.	13 and if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is wil ing to stay with her, she should notdivorce her husband.
14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through the believing husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, whereas instead they are holy.	14 You see, the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctifiedthrough the brother. If this were not so, your children would be unclean, whereas in fact they are holy.
15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. For a brother or sister cannot be made subject to servitude in this way. For God has called us to peace.	15 But if the unbeliever chooses to leave, then let the separation take place: in these circumstances, thebrother or sister is no longer tied. But God has called you to live in peace:
16 And how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?	16 as a wife, how can you tel whether you are to be the salvation of your husband; as a husband, howcan you tell whether you are to be the salvation of your wife?
17 However, let each one walk just as the Lord has distributed to him, each one just as God has called him. And thus do I teach in all the churches.	17 Anyway let everyone continue in the part which the Lord has al otted to him, as he was when Godcal ed him. This is the rule that I give to al the churches.
18 Has any circumcised man been called? Let him not cover his circumcision. Has any uncircumcised man been called? Let him not be circumcised.	18 If a man who is cal ed has already been circumcised, then he must stay circumcised; when anuncircumcised man is cal ed, he may not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; there is only the observance of the commandments of God.	19 To be circumcised is of no importance, and to be uncircumcised is of no importance; what is importantis the keeping of God's commandments.
20 Let each and every one remain in the same calling to which he was called.	20 Everyone should stay in whatever state he was in when he was called.
21 Are you a servant who has been called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you ever have the ability to be free, make use of it.	21 So, if when you were cal ed, you were a slave, do not think it matters -- even if you have a chance offreedom, you should prefer to make full use of your condition as a slave.
22 For any servant who has been called in the Lord is free in the Lord. Similarly, any free person who has been called is a servant in Christ.	22 You see, anyone who was cal ed in the Lord while a slave, is a freeman of the Lord; and in the sameway, anyone who was free when called, is a slave of Christ.
23 You have been bought with a price. Do not be willing to become the servants of men.	23 You have been bought at a price; do not be slaves now to any human being.
24 Brothers, let each one, in whatever state he was called, remain in that state with God.	24 Each one of you, brothers, is to stay before God in the state in which you were cal ed.
25 Now, concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord. But I give counsel, as one who has obtained the mercy of the Lord, so as to be faithful.	25 About people remaining virgin, I have no directions from the Lord, but I give my own opinion as aperson who has been granted the Lord's mercy to be faithful.
26 Therefore, I consider this to be good, because of the present necessity: that it is good for a man to be such as I am.	26 Well then, because of the stress which is weighing upon us, the right thing seems to be this: it is goodfor people to stay as they are.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be freed. Are you free of a wife? Do not seek a wife.	27 If you are joined to a wife, do not seek to be released; if you are freed of a wife, do not look for a wife.
28 But if you take a wife, you have not sinned. And if a virgin has married, she has not sinned. Even so, such as these will have the tribulation of the flesh. But I would spare you from this.	28 However, if you do get married, that is not a sin, and it is not sinful for a virgin to enter upon marriage.But such people will have the hardships consequent on human nature, and I would like you to be without that.
29 And so, this is what I say, brothers: The time is short. What remains of it is such that: those who have wives should be as if they had none;	29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time has become limited, and from now on, those who havespouses should live as though they had none;
30 and those who weep, as though they were not weeping; and those who rejoice, as if they were not rejoicing; and those who buy, as if they possessed nothing;	30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning; those who enjoy life as though they did notenjoy it; those who have been buying property as though they had no possessions;
31 and those who use the things of this world, as if they were not using them. For the figure of this world is passing away.	31 and those who are involved with the world as though they were people not engrossed in it. Becausethis world as we know it is passing away.
32 But I would prefer you to be without worry. Whoever is without a wife is worried about the things of the Lord, as to how he may please God.	32 I should like you to have your minds free from al worry. The unmarried man gives his mind to theLord's affairs and to how he can please the Lord;
33 But whoever is with a wife is worried about the things of the world, as to how he may please his wife. And so, he is divided.	33 but the man who is married gives his mind to the affairs of this world and to how he can please hiswife, and he is divided in mind.
34 And the unmarried woman and the virgin think about the things that are of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and in spirit. But she who is married thinks about the things that are of the world, as to how she may please her husband.	34 So, too, the unmarried woman, and the virgin, gives her mind to the Lord's affairs and to being holy inbody and spirit; but the married woman gives her mind to the affairs of this world and to how she can please herhusband.
35 Furthermore, I am saying this for your own benefit, not in order to cast a snare over you, but toward whatever is honest and whatever may provide you with the ability to be without hindrance, so as to worship the Lord.	35 I am saying this only to help you, not to put a bridle on you, but so that everything is as it should be,and you are able to give your undivided attention to the Lord.
36 But if any man considers himself to seem dishonorable, concerning a virgin who is of adult age, and so it ought to be, he may do as he wills. If he marries her, he does not sin.	36 If someone with strong passions thinks that he is behaving badly towards his fiance'e and that thingsshould take their due course, he should fol ow his desires. There is no sin in it; they should marry.
37 But if he has decided firmly in his heart, and he does not have any obligation, but only the power of his free will, and if he has judged this in his heart, to let her remain a virgin, he does well.	37 But if he stands firm in his resolution, without any compulsion but with ful control of his own wil , anddecides to let her remain as his fiance'e, then he is acting wel .
38 And so, he who joins with his virgin in matrimony does well, and he who does not join with her does better.	38 In other words, he who marries his fiance'e is doing wel , and he who does not, better still.
39 A woman is bound under the law for as long as her husband lives. But if her husband has died, she is free. She may marry whomever she wishes, but only in the Lord.	39 A wife is tied as long as her husband is alive. But if the husband dies, she is free to marry anybodyshe likes, only it must be in the Lord.
40 But she will be more blessed, if she remains in this state, in accord with my counsel. And I think that I, too, have the Spirit of God.	40 She would be happier if she stayed as she is, to my way of thinking -- and I believe that I too have theSpirit of God.