Teaching on Marriage

7 Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is ^(A)good for a man ^[a]not to touch a woman. ² But because of sexual immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. ³ The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise the wife also to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ^5 [b](B)Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and ^[c]come together again so that ^(C)Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ But this I say by way of concession, ^(D)not of command. ^7 [d]Yet I wish that all ^[e]men were ^(E)even as I myself am. However, ^(F)each has his own gift from God, one in this way, and another in that.

⁸ But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is ^(G)good for them if they remain ^(H)even as I. ⁹ But if they do not have self-control, ^(I)let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰ But to the married I give instructions, ^(J)not I, but the Lord, that the wife is not to leave her husband ¹¹ (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband is not to ^[f]divorce his wife.

¹² But to the rest ^(K)I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she consents to live with him, he must not ^[g]divorce her. ¹³ And ^[h]if any woman has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not ^[i]divorce her husband. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through ^[j]her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are ^(L)holy. ¹⁵ Yet if the unbelieving one is leaving, ^[k]let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called ^[l]us ^(M)in peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will ^(N)save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

¹⁷ Only, ^(O)as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this way let him walk. And ^(P)so I direct in ^(Q)all the churches.