1 Corinthians 7:23-39
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 7
23You were bought for a price; do not become slaves of people. 24Brothers and sisters, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.
25Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I am offering direction as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.
26I think, then, that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such people as yourselves will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.
29But this I say, brothers, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;
30and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;
31and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the present form of this world is passing away.
32But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife,
34and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35I say this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
36But if anyone thinks that he is acting dishonorably toward his virgin, if she is past her youth and it ought to be so, let him do what he wishes, he is not sinning; let them marry.
37But the one who stands firm in his heart, if he is not under constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well.
38So then, both the one who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.
King James Version
Chapter 7
23Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. 24Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
25Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
26I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
27Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
28But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.
29But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
32But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
37Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
38So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 7
23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of people. 24Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.
25Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is faithful.
26Because of the present distress, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28However, if you do get married, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.
29This is what I mean, brothers and sisters: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,
30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they didn't own anything,
31and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away.
32I want you to be without concerns. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord.
33But the married man is concerned about the things of the world--how he may please his wife--
34and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world--how she may please her husband.
35I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.
36If any man thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage, and he feels he should marry--he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.
37But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep her as his fiancée, will do well.
38So, then, he who marries his fiancée does well, but he who does not marry will do better.
New Living Translation
Chapter 7
23God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 24Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.
25Now 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.
26Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are.
27If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married.
28But 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.
29But 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.
30Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions.
31Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.
32I 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.
33But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife.
34His 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.
35I 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.
36But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.
37But 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.
38So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
English Standard Version
Chapter 7
23You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
25Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
26I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.
29This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,
30and 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 goods,
31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
32I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.
33But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,
34and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.
35I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
36If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin.
37But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.
38So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.
New International Version
Chapter 7
23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
25Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
26Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.
27Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.
28But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;
30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;
31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord.
33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife--
34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband.
35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
37But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin--this man also does the right thing.
38So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
New King James Version
Chapter 7
23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.
25Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.
26I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress— that it is good for a man to remain as he is:
27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.
28But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
29But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none,
30those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,
31and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
32But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.
33But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.
34There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.
35And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
36But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.
37Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well.
38So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.
