1 Corinthiens 7

1 Quant aux choses dont vous m’avez écrit, il est avantageux à l’homme de ne toucher aucune femme;

Now about what you wrote to me: “It's good not to marry.”

2 Mais, à cause de la fornication, que chaque homme ait sa femme, et chaque femme son mari.

However, because of the temptation to sexual immorality, it is better that each man have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.

3 Que le mari rende à la femme ce qu’il lui doit, et pareillement la femme à son mari.

The husband should meet his wife's sexual needs, and the wife her husband's.

4 La femme n’a pas puissance sur son corps; c’est le mari. De même le mari n’a pas puissance sur son corps, c’est la femme.

The wife's body doesn't just belong to her, but her husband; and similarly the husband's body doesn't just belong to him but his wife.

5 Ne vous refusez point l’un à l’autre ce devoir, si ce n’est de concert, pour un temps, afin de vaquer à la prière; et revenez ensuite comme vous étiez, de peur que Satan ne vous tente par votre incontinence.

So don't deprive each other, except by mutual consent for a while— for example because you want to spend time in prayer. Afterwards be together again so that Satan won't tempt you to sin because of your lack of self-control.

6 Or je dis ceci par condescendance, et non par commandement.

I'm telling you this not as a command, but as a concession.

7 Car je voudrais que vous fussiez tous comme moi; mais chacun reçoit de Dieu son don particulier, l’un d’une manière et l’autre d’une autre.

However, I wish that everyone was like me, but each person has their own gift from God—one has this gift, one has another.

8 Mais je dis à ceux qui ne sont pas mariés et aux veuves, qu’il leur est avantageux de rester ainsi, comme moi-même.

To those who are not yet married, or who are widowed, I would say it is better if they remain like me.

9 Que s’ils ne peuvent se contenir, qu’ils se marient. Car il vaut mieux se marier que de brûler.

But if they lack self-control, then they should get married—for it is better to marry than burn with desire.

10 Pour ceux qui sont mariés, ce n’est pas moi, mais le Seigneur, qui commande que la femme ne se sépare point de son mari;

These are my instructions to those who are married—in fact not from me but the Lord: The wife should not leave her husband

11 Que si elle en est séparée, qu’elle demeure sans se marier, ou qu’elle se réconcilie avec son mari. Que le mari, de même, ne quitte point sa femme.

(or if she does, she should not re-marry, or she should return to her husband); and the husband should not leave his wife.

12 Mais aux autres, je dis, moi, et non le Seigneur: Si l’un de nos frères a une femme infidèle, et qu’elle consente à demeurer avec lui, qu’il ne se sépare point d’elle.

Now, to the rest of you, (and this is me speaking, not the Lord), I would say, “If a Christian man has a non-Christian wife and she is willing to stay with him, he should not leave her.

13 Et si une femme fidèle a un mari infidèle, et qu’il consente à demeurer avec elle, qu’elle ne se sépare point de son mari;

And if a Christian woman has a non-Christian husband, and he is willing to stay with her, she should not leave her husband.”

14 Car le mari infidèle est sanctifié par la femme fidèle, et la femme infidèle est sanctifiée par le mari fidèle; autrement vos enfants seraient impurs, tandis que maintenant ils sont saints.

For a husband who is not a Christian, the marriage relationship is made holy by the Christian wife, and for a wife who is not a Christian, the marriage relationship is made holy by the Christian husband. Otherwise it would mean your children were impure, but now they are holy.

15 Que si l’infidèle se sépare, qu’il se sépare; car notre frère ou notre sœur n’est plus asservie en ce cas; mais Dieu nous a appelés à la paix.

However, if the non-Christian spouse leaves, let them leave. In such cases the Christian man or woman is not slavishly bound, for God has called us to live in peace.

16 Car, que savez-vous, femme, si vous sauverez votre mari? ou que sais-tu, homme, si tu sauveras ta femme?

Wives, who knows? You may save your husband! Husbands, who knows? You may save your wife!

17 Seulement, que chacun marche selon que le Seigneur lui a départi, et selon que Dieu l’a appelé, et c’est ce que j’enseigne dans toutes les Eglises.

Apart from such cases, each of you should remain in the situation that the Lord has placed you, and continue to live the life to which God has called you. That's my instruction to all the churches.

18 Un circoncis a-t-il été appelé? Qu’il ne se donne point pour incirconcis. Est-ce un incirconcis qui a été appelé? Qu’il ne se fasse point circoncire.

Were you circumcised when you were converted? Don't become uncircumcised. Were you uncircumcised when you were converted? Don't become circumcised.

19 La circoncision n’est rien, et l’incirconcision n’est rien, mais l’observation des commandements de Dieu est tout.

Circumcision doesn't mean anything, and uncircumcision doesn't mean anything. Keeping the commandments of God is what really matters.

20 Que chacun persévère dans la vocation où il était quand il a été appelé.

Everyone should remain in the position they were in when they were called.

21 As-tu été appelé étant esclave, ne t’en inquiète pas; et même, si tu peux devenir libre, profites-en plutôt.

If you were a slave when you were called, don't worry—though if you have an opportunity to become free, take it.

22 Car celui qui a été appelé au Seigneur, lorsqu’il était esclave, devient affranchi du Seigneur; de même celui qui a été appelé étant libre, devient esclave du Christ.

If you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free, working for the Lord. In the same way if you were called when you were free, you are now Christ's slave!

23 Vous avez été achetés chèrement; ne vous faites point esclaves des hommes.

A price has been paid for you, so don't become a slave to anyone.

24 Que chacun, mes frères, persévère devant Dieu dans l’état où il était, lorsqu’il a été appelé.

Brothers and sisters, remain in the position you were in when you were called, living with God.

25 Quant aux vierges, je n’ai pas reçu de commandement du Seigneur, mais je donnerai un conseil, comme ayant obtenu de la miséricorde du Seigneur d’être fidèle.

Now about “people who are not married,” I don't have a specific instruction from the Lord, so let me give you my opinion as someone who by the Lord's mercy is considered trustworthy.

26 J’estime donc que cela est avantageux, parce qu’à cause de la nécessité pressante il est avantageux à l’homme d’être ainsi.

Because of the present difficult situation we are in I think it is best to just stay as you are.

27 Es-tu lié à une femme? ne cherche pas à te délier. N’es-tu point lié à une femme? ne cherche pas de femme.

Are you already married? Don't try to get divorced. Are you unmarried? Don't look to get married.

28 Cependant, si tu prends une femme, tu ne pèches pas; et si une vierge se marie, elle ne pèche pas. Toutefois ces personnes auront les tribulations de la chair. Pour moi, je vous pardonne.

If you do get married, you haven't sinned. If an unmarried woman gets married, she hasn't sinned. But you will have many troubles in this current world and I would want to spare you these.

29 Voici donc, mes frères, ce que je vous dis: Le temps est court; il faut que ceux même qui ont des femmes soient comme n’en ayant pas;

I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, that time is short, and from now on for those who are married it may seem as if they are not married,

30 Et ceux qui pleurent, comme ne pleurant pas; ceux qui se réjouissent, comme ne se réjouissant pas: ceux qui achètent, comme ne possédant pas;

and those who weep as if they did not weep, and those that celebrated as if they had not celebrated, and those that bought as if they did not own,

31 Et ceux qui usent de ce monde, comme s’ils n’en usaient pas; car elle passe, la figure de ce monde.

and those who are engaged with the world as if it is not fulfilling—for the present world order is passing away.

32 Je voudrais que vous fussiez exempts de soucis. Celui qui est sans femme met sa sollicitude dans les choses du Seigneur, comment il plaira au Seigneur.

I would prefer you to be free from such worries. A man who is not married pays attention to what is important to the Lord, and how he can please the Lord.

33 Au contraire, celui qui est avec une femme met sa sollicitude dans les choses du monde, comment il plaira à sa femme; et il se trouve ainsi partagé.

But a man who is married pays attention to what is important in this world, and how he can please his wife.

34 De même la femme non mariée et la vierge pensent aux choses qui sont du Seigneur, afin d’être saintes de corps et d’esprit; mais celle qui est mariée pense aux choses du monde: comment elle plaira à son mari.

As a result his loyalties are divided. Similarly an unmarried woman or girl pays attention to what is important to the Lord, so she may live a life dedicated both in body and spirit. But a married woman pays attention to what is important in this world, and how she can please her husband.

35 Or je vous parle ainsi pour votre avantage, non pour vous tendre un piège, mais parce que c’est une chose bienséante, et qui vous donnera un moyen de prier le Seigneur sans empêchement.

I'm telling you this for your benefit. I'm not trying to put a noose around your neck, but to show you the right thing to do so you can serve the Lord without being distracted.

36 Si quelqu’un donc pense que ce lui soit un déshonneur que sa fille, déjà plus qu’adulte, reste vierge, et qu’il la doit marier; qu’il fasse ce qu’il voudra, il ne péchera point si elle se marie.

But if a man thinks he's behaving improperly with the woman he's engaged to, and if he thinks he will give in to his strong sexual desire, and if he thinks he ought to get married, he is not sinning by getting married.

37 Mais celui qui, sans nécessité, et étant pleinement maître de sa volonté, juge en son cœur de conserver sa fille vierge, fait bien.

But if a man stays true to his principles, and there is no obligation to marry, and has the power to keep his feelings under control and stay engaged to her, he does well not to marry.

38 Ainsi celui qui marie sa fille vierge fait bien; et celui qui ne la marie pas fait mieux.

So the man who marries the woman he's engaged to does well, while the one who does not get married does better.

39 La femme est liée à la loi aussi longtemps que vit son mari; que si son mari s’endort, elle est affranchie; qu’elle se marie à qui elle voudra, mais seulement selon le Seigneur.

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry whoever she wants in the Lord.

40 Cependant elle sera plus heureuse si, selon mon conseil, elle demeure comme elle est: or je pense que j’ai, moi aussi, l’Esprit du Seigneur.

But in my opinion she would be happier if she didn't re-marry—and I think I too have the Spirit of God when I say this.