¹ Now concerning the things of which ye wrote to me. It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

² But because of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

³ Let the husband render the goodwill owed to the wife, and likewise also the wife to the husband.

⁴ The wife has not the right of her private body, but the husband, and likewise also the husband has not the right of his private body, but the wife.

⁵ Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶ But I say this from concession not from commandment.

⁷ For I wish all men to be even as myself. However each man has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another after that.

⁸ But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I.

⁹ But if they have no self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰ And to those who are married, I do not command but the Lord. The wife is not to separate from her husband.

¹¹ But even if she separates, she shall remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to leave his wife.

¹² But to the rest I say, not the Lord. If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and this woman consents to dwell with him, he should not leave her.

¹³ And whichever woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to dwell with her, she should not leave him.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified by the husband, then otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbeliever separates, he shall separate. The brother or the sister has not been bound in such things. And God has called us to peace.

¹⁶ For how do thou know, O wife, whether thou will save thy husband? Or how will thou know, O husband, whether thou will save thy wife?

¹⁷ Except, as God has distributed to each man, as the Lord has called each, so let him walk. And so I command in all the congregations.

¹⁸ Was any man called circumcised? He should not become uncircumcised. Was any man called in uncircumcision? He should not be circumcised.

¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, instead, the keeping of God's commandments.

²⁰ Each man, in the situation in which he was called, in this he should remain.

²¹ Were thou called being a bondman? It should not concern thee. However if also thou are able to become free, take advantage of it instead.

²² For he who was called in the Lord a bondman is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise also he who was called a free man is a bondman of Christ.

²³ Ye were bought with a price, become not bondmen of men.

²⁴ Brothers, each man, in what he was called, should remain in this before God.

²⁵ Now concerning the virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give an opinion, as having obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy.

²⁶ I suppose therefore this to be good because of the present distress, that it is good for a man to be this way:

²⁷ Are thou bound to a wife? Do not seek separation. Are thou free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

²⁸ But also if thou did marry thou have not sinned, and if the virgin married she has not sinned. Yet such kind will have stress in the flesh, but I spare you.

²⁹ But this I say, brothers, the time is shortened. It is the remaining, so that also those who have wives may be as not having,

³⁰ and those who weep, as not weeping, and those who rejoice, as not rejoicing, and those who buy, as not possessing,

³¹ and those who use this world, as not making full use, for the form of this world passes away.

³² But I want you to be without worry. The unmarried man cares for things of the Lord, how he will please the Lord.

³³ But he who is married cares for things of the world, how he will please his wife.

³⁴ And the wife and the virgin are differentiated. The unmarried woman is concerned for the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married is concerned for the things of the world, how she will please her husband.

³⁵ And I say this for your own benefit, not that I may cast restraint upon you, but for what is respectable and assiduous toward the Lord, undistracted.

³⁶ But if any man thinks to behave improperly toward his virgin, if it is past the best time, and so ought to happen, she should do what she wants, she does not sin, they should marry.

³⁷ But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has power based upon his own will, and has decided this in his heart, to keep his own celibacy, does well.

³⁸ And therefore he who gives in marriage does well, but he who does not give in marriage does better.

³⁹ A wife is bound by law as long a time as her husband lives, but also if the husband should sleep, she is free to be married to whom she desires, only in the Lord.

⁴⁰ But she is more blessed if she remains this way according to my opinion. And I also seem to have Spirit of God.