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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>1 Corinthians 7 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_corinthians/7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/1_corinthians/7-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > 1 Corinthians 7</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_corinthians/6.htm" title="1 Corinthians 6">◄</a> 1 Corinthians 7 <a href="../1_corinthians/8.htm" title="1 Corinthians 8">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/1_corinthians/7.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">Instruction on Marriage</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>I say this as a concession, not as a command. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> A wife must not leave her husband. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> to live in peace.) <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">g</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Each of you, dear brothers and sisters,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">h</span></a> should remain as you were when God first called you.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Because of the present crisis,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">i</span></a> I think it is best to remain as you are. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fianc锟絜 improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>So the person who marries his fianc锟絜 does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">j</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/7-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:1 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">to live a celibate life;</span><span class="ft"> Greek reads </span><span class="it">It is good for a man not to touch a woman.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:10 </span><span class="ft">See Matt 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:12 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">a brother.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:14 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">the brother.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:15a </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">the brother or sister.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:15b </span><span class="ft">Some manuscripts read </span><span class="it">us.</span><br><span class="fn">g</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:23 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">don’t become slaves of people.</span><br><span class="fn">h</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:24 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">brothers;</span><span class="ft"> also in 7:29.</span><br><span class="fn">i</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:26 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">the pressures of life.</span><br><span class="fn">j</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">7:39 </span><span class="ft">Greek </span><span class="it">but only in the Lord.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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