1 Corinthians 7
1 With reference to the subjects about which you wrote to me: It is good for a man to remain single.
Περὶ δὲ ὧν ἐγράψατε, καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ, γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι.
2 But, owing to the prevalence of immorality, I advise every man to have his own wife, and every woman her husband.
Διὰ δὲ τὰς πορνείας, ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω, καὶ ἑκάστη τὸν ἴδιον ἄνδρα ἐχέτω.
3 A husband should give his wife her due, and a wife her husband.
Τῇ γυναικὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀφειλὴν ἀποδιδότω, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ἀνδρί.
4 It is not the wife, but the husband, who exercises power over her body; and so, too, it is not the husband, but the wife, who exercises power over his body.
Ἡ γυνὴ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλὰ ὁ ἀνήρ· ὁμοίως δὲ, καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλὰ ἡ γυνή.
5 Do not deprive each other of what is due – unless it is only for a time and by mutual consent, so that your minds may be free for prayer until you again live as man and wife – otherwise Satan might take advantage of your want of self-control and tempt you.
Μὴ ἀποστερεῖτε ἀλλήλους, εἰ μήτι ἂν ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρὸν, ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ, καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἦτε, ἵνα μὴ πειράζῃ ὑμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς, διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν ὑμῶν.
6 I say this, however, as a concession, not as a command.
Τοῦτο δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγγνώμην, οὐ κατʼ ἐπιταγήν.
7 I should wish everyone to be just what I am myself. But everyone has his own gift from God – one in one way, and one in another.
Θέλω δὲ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἶναι ὡς καὶ ἐμαυτόν. Ἀλλὰ ἕκαστος ἴδιον ἔχει χάρισμα ἐκ ˚Θεοῦ, ὁ μὲν οὕτως, ὁ δὲ οὕτως.
8 My advice, then, to those who are not married, and to widows, is this: It would be good for them to remain as I am myself.
Λέγω δὲ τοῖς ἀγάμοις καὶ ταῖς χήραις, καλὸν αὐτοῖς ἐὰν μείνωσιν ὡς κἀγώ.
9 But, if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be consumed with passion.
Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐγκρατεύονται, γαμησάτωσαν, κρεῖττον γάρ ἐστιν γαμῆσαι, ἢ πυροῦσθαι.
10 To those who are married my direction is – yet it is not mine, but the Master’s – that a woman is not to leave her husband
Τοῖς δὲ γεγαμηκόσιν, παραγγέλλω (οὐκ ἐγὼ, ἀλλὰ ὁ ˚Κύριος), γυναῖκα ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς μὴ χωρισθῆναι
11 (If she has done so, she should remain as she is, or else be reconciled to her husband) and also that a man is not to divorce his wife.
(ἐὰν δὲ καὶ χωρισθῇ, μενέτω ἄγαμος ἢ τῷ ἀνδρὶ καταλλαγήτω) καὶ ἄνδρα γυναῖκα μὴ ἀφιέναι.
12 To all others I say – I, not the Master – If a follower of the Lord is married to a woman, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with him, he should not divorce her;
Τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς λέγω (ἐγώ, οὐχ ὁ ˚Κύριος), εἴ τις ἀδελφὸς γυναῖκα ἔχει ἄπιστον, καὶ αὕτη συνευδοκεῖ οἰκεῖν μετʼ αὐτοῦ, μὴ ἀφιέτω αὐτήν.
13 and a woman who is married to a man, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with her, should not divorce her husband.
Καὶ γυνὴ ἥτις ἔχει ἄνδρα ἄπιστον, καὶ οὗτος συνευδοκεῖ οἰκεῖν μετʼ αὐτῆς, μὴ ἀφιέτω τὸν ἄνδρα.
14 For, through his wife, the husband who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ’s people; and the wife who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ’s people through the Lord’s follower whom she has married. Otherwise your children would be ‘defiled,’ but, as it is, they belong to Christ’s people.
Ἡγίασται γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ἄπιστος ἐν τῇ γυναικί, καὶ ἡγίασται ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄπιστος ἐν τῷ ἀδελφῷ· ἐπεὶ ἄρα τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἀκάθαρτά ἐστιν, νῦν δὲ ἅγιά ἐστιν.
15 However, if the unbeliever wishes to be separated, let them be so. Under such circumstances neither is bound; God has called you to live in peace.
Εἰ δὲ ὁ ἄπιστος χωρίζεται, χωριζέσθω. Οὐ δεδούλωται ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἢ ἡ ἀδελφὴ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, ἐν δὲ εἰρήνῃ κέκληκεν ἡμᾶς ὁ ˚Θεός.
16 How can you tell, wife, whether you may not save your husband? And how can you tell, husband, whether you may not save your wife?
Τί γὰρ οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις; Ἢ τί οἶδας, ἄνερ, εἰ τὴν γυναῖκα σώσεις;
17 In any case, a person should continue to live in the condition which the Lord has allotted to them, and in which they were when God called them. This is the rule that I lay down in every church.
Εἰ μὴ ἑκάστῳ ὡς μεμέρικεν ὁ ˚Κύριος, ἕκαστον ὡς κέκληκεν ὁ ˚Θεός, οὕτως περιπατείτω. Καὶ οὕτως ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις πάσαις διατάσσομαι.
18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not efface his circumcision. Has a man been called when uncircumcised? Then he should not be circumcised.
Περιτετμημένος τις ἐκλήθη; Μὴ ἐπισπάσθω. Ἐν ἀκροβυστίᾳ κέκληταί τις; Μὴ περιτεμνέσθω.
19 Circumcision is nothing; the want of it is nothing; but to keep the commands of God is everything.
Ἡ περιτομὴ οὐδέν ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τήρησις ἐντολῶν ˚Θεοῦ.
20 Let everyone remain in that condition of life in which they were when the call came to them.
Ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ κλήσει ᾗ ἐκλήθη, ἐν ταύτῃ μενέτω.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that trouble you. No, even if you are able to gain your freedom, still do your best.
Δοῦλος ἐκλήθης; Μή σοι μελέτω· ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ δύνασαι ἐλεύθερος γενέσθαι, μᾶλλον χρῆσαι.
22 For the person who was a slave when they were called to the master’s service is the Master’s freedman; so, too, the person who was free when called is Christ’s slave.
Ὁ γὰρ ἐν ˚Κυρίῳ κληθεὶς δοῦλος, ἀπελεύθερος ˚Κυρίου ἐστίν· ὁμοίως ὁ ἐλεύθερος κληθεὶς, δοῦλός ἐστιν ˚Χριστοῦ.
23 You were bought, and the price was paid. Do not let yourselves become slaves to people.
Τιμῆς ἠγοράσθητε· μὴ γίνεσθε δοῦλοι ἀνθρώπων.
24 Friends, let everyone remain in the condition in which they were when they were called, in close communion with God.
Ἕκαστος ἐν ᾧ ἐκλήθη, ἀδελφοί, ἐν τούτῳ μενέτω παρὰ ˚Θεῷ.
25 With regard to unmarried women, I have no command from the Master to give you, but I tell you my opinion, and the Master in his mercy has made me worthy to be trusted.
Περὶ δὲ τῶν παρθένων, ἐπιταγὴν ˚Κυρίου οὐκ ἔχω, γνώμην δὲ δίδωμι, ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ ˚Κυρίου, πιστὸς εἶναι.
26 I think, then, that, in view of the time of suffering that has now come upon us, what I have already said is best – that a man should remain as he is.
Νομίζω οὖν τοῦτο καλὸν ὑπάρχειν διὰ τὴν ἐνεστῶσαν ἀνάγκην, ὅτι καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ οὕτως εἶναι.
27 Are you married to a wife? Then do not seek to be separated. Are you separated from a wife? Then do not seek for a wife.
Δέδεσαι γυναικί; Μὴ ζήτει λύσιν. Λέλυσαι ἀπὸ γυναικός; Μὴ ζήτει γυναῖκα.
28 Still, if you should marry, that is not wrong; nor, if a young woman marries, is that wrong. But those who marry will have much trouble to bear, and my wish is to spare you.
Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ γαμήσῃς, οὐχ ἥμαρτες. Καὶ ἐὰν γήμῃ ἡ παρθένος, οὐχ ἥμαρτεν. Θλῖψιν δὲ τῇ σαρκὶ ἕξουσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῶν φείδομαι.
29 What I mean, friends, is this – the time is short. Meanwhile, let those who have wives live as if they had none,
Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν. Τὸ λοιπὸν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας, ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ὦσιν,
30 those who are weeping as if not weeping, those who are rejoicing as if not rejoicing, those who buy as if not possessing,
καὶ οἱ κλαίοντες, ὡς μὴ κλαίοντες, καὶ οἱ χαίροντες, ὡς μὴ χαίροντες, καὶ οἱ ἀγοράζοντες, ὡς μὴ κατέχοντες,
31 and those who use the good things of the world as using them sparingly; for this world as we see it is passing away.
καὶ οἱ χρώμενοι τὸν κόσμον, ὡς μὴ καταχρώμενοι· παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου.
32 I want you to be free from anxiety. The unmarried man is anxious about the Master’s cause, desiring to please him;
Θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀμερίμνους εἶναι. Ὁ ἄγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ ˚Κυρίου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῷ ˚Κυρίῳ·
33 while the married man is anxious about worldly matters, desiring to please his wife;
ὁ δὲ γαμήσας μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῇ γυναικί, καὶ μεμέρισται. Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἡ ἄγαμος καὶ ἡ παρθένος
34 and so his interests are divided. Again, the unmarried woman, whether she is old or young, is anxious about the Master’s cause, striving to be pure both in body and in spirit, while the married woman is anxious about worldly matters, desiring to please her husband.
ἡ ἄγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ ˚Κυρίου, ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία, καὶ τῷ σώματι καὶ τῷ πνεύματι· ἡ δὲ γαμήσασα μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου, πῶς ἀρέσῃ τῷ ἀνδρί.
35 I say this for your own benefit, not with any intention of putting a halter around your necks, but in order to secure for the Master seemly and constant devotion, free from all distraction.
Τοῦτο δὲ πρὸς τὸ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σύμφορον λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα βρόχον ὑμῖν ἐπιβάλω, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπάρεδρον τῷ ˚Κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως.
36 If, however, a father thinks that he is not acting fairly by his unmarried daughter, when she is past her youth, and if under these circumstances her marriage ought to take place, he should act as he thinks right. He is doing nothing wrong – let the marriage take place.
Εἰ δέ τις ἀσχημονεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν παρθένον αὐτοῦ νομίζει, ἐὰν ᾖ ὑπέρακμος καὶ οὕτως ὀφείλει γίνεσθαι, ὃ θέλει ποιείτω· οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· γαμείτωσαν.
37 On the other hand, a father, who has definitely made up his mind, and is under no compulsion, but is free to carry out his own wishes, and who has come to the decision, in his own mind, to keep his unmarried daughter at home will be doing right.
Ὃς δὲ ἕστηκεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἑδραῖος, μὴ ἔχων ἀνάγκην, ἐξουσίαν δὲ ἔχει περὶ τοῦ ἰδίου θελήματος, καὶ τοῦτο κέκρικεν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ καρδίᾳ, τηρεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον, καλῶς ποιήσει.
38 In short, the one who consents to his daughter’s marriage is doing right, and yet the other will be doing better.
Ὥστε καὶ ὁ γαμίζων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον, καλῶς ποιεῖ, καὶ ὁ μὴ γαμίζων, κρεῖσσον ποιήσει.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives; but, if the husband should pass to his rest, the widow is free to marry anyone she wishes, provided he is a believer.
Γυνὴ δέδεται ἐφʼ ὅσον χρόνον ζῇ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς· ἐὰν δὲ κοιμηθῇ ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐλευθέρα ἐστὶν ᾧ θέλει γαμηθῆναι, μόνον ἐν ˚Κυρίῳ.
40 Yet she will be happier if she remains as she is – in my opinion, for I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
Μακαριωτέρα δέ ἐστιν, ἐὰν οὕτως μείνῃ, κατὰ τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην, δοκῶ δὲ κἀγὼ, ˚Πνεῦμα ˚Θεοῦ ἔχειν.
