A   As concernynge the thinges wherof ye wrote vnto me, I answere: It is good for a man not to touche a woman. Neuertheles to avoyde whordome, let euery man haue his awne wife, and let euery woman haue hir awne hu&esset;bande. Let the m&abar; geue vnto the wife due beneuolence: likewyse also the wife vnto þe; man. The wife hath not power ouer hir awne body, but the hu&esset;bande: ∧ likewyse the man hath not power ouer his awne body, but the wife. ^noteWithdrawe not yo&highr; selues one fr&obar; another, excepte it be with the consent of both for a tyme, that ye maye geue youre selues vnto fastinge and prayer, and th&ebar; come together agayne, lest Sathan tempte you for yo&highr; incontyn&ebar;cye. But this I saye of fauoure, and not of commaundem&ebar;t. Howbeit I wolde rather þt; all m&ebar; were as I am. Neuertheles euery one hath his proper gifte of God: one thus, another so. To them verely þt; are vnmaried and to wedowes I saye: It is good for th&ebar; that they abyde also as I do. ^noteBut yf they cannot absteyne, let them mary. For it is better to mary, then to burne.

B   But vnto them that are maried, commaunde not I, but the LORDE, ^note that the wife separate not her selfe from the hu&esset;bande: but yf she separate her selfe, þt; she remayne vnmaried, or be reconcyled to hir hu&esset;bande: and let not the hu&esset;bande put awaye his wife from him.

As for the other, vnto th&ebar; saye I, not þe; LORDE: Yf eny brother haue an vnbeleuynge wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not put hir awaye. And yf a woman haue an vnbeleuynge hu&esset;bande, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not put him awaye. For the vnbeleuynge hu&esset;bande is sanctified by the wife, and the vnbeleuynge wife is sanctified by the hu&esset;bande: or els were youre children vncleane, but now are they holy. But yf the vnbeleuynge departe, let him departe. A brother or a sister is not bo&ubar;de in soch cases, but God hath called vs in peace. ^noteFor what knowest thou O wom&abar;, whether thou shalt saue þe; m&abar;? Or what knowest thou O man, whether thou shalt saue the woman? But euen as God hath distributed vnto euery one ^note and as the LORDE hath called euery man, so let him walke: and so orden I in all congregacions.

C   Yf eny man be called beynge circumcysed let him take no Heythenshippe vpon him. Yf eny man be called in the Heythenshippe, let him not be circumcysed. Circumcision is nothinge, and vncircumcision is nothinge, but the kepynge of the commaundementes of God. Let euery one abyde in the callynge

wherin he is called. ^noteArt thou called a serua&ubar;t, care not for it: neuertheles yf thou mayest be fre, vse it rather. For he that is called in the LORDE beynge a serua&ubar;te, is a fre man of the LORDE. Likewyse he that is called beynge fre, is a serua&ubar;t of Christ. ^noteYe are dearly boughte, be not ye the seruauntes of men. Brethren let euery one wherin he is called, therin abyde with God.

As concernynge virgins, I haue no commaundement of the LORDE, neuertheles I saye my goodmeanynge, as I haue optayned mercy of the LORDE to be faithfull. I suppose it is good for þe; present necessite: for it is good for a man so to be. Art thou bounde vnto a wife, seke not to be lowsed: Art thou lowsed fr&obar; a wife, seke not a wife. But yf thou take a wife, thou synnest not. And yf a virgin mary, she synneth not Neuertheles soch shal haue trouble in the fle&esset;he. But I fauoure you.

D   Howbeit this I saye brethren: ^note the tyme is shorte. Farthermore this is the meanynge, þt; they which haue wyues, be as though they had none: and they that wepe, be as though they wepte not: and they that reioyse, be as though they reioysed not: ∧ they that bye, be as though they possessed not: ∧ they that vse this worlde, be as though they vsed it not. For the fa&esset;hion off this worlde passeth awaye. But I wolde that ye shulde be without care. ^noteHe that is syngle, careth for the thinges of the LORDE, how he maye please the LORDE. But he that is maried, careth for the thinges of the worlde, how he maye please his wife, and is deuyded. A woman and a virgin that is syngle, careth for the thinges of the LORDE, that she maye be holy both in body ∧ also in sprete. But she that is maried, careth for þe; thinges of the worlde, how she maye please hir hu&esset;bande.

E   This I saye for youre profit, not that I wil tangle you in a snare, but for that which is honest and comly vnto you, that ye maye c&obar;tynually cleue vnto the LORDE without hynderaunce. But yf eny man thinke that it is vncomly for his virgin yf she passe the tyme of mariage, and if nede so requyre, let him do what he lyst, he synneth not, let th&ebar; be coupled in mariage. Neuertheles he that purposeth surely in his hert, hauynge no nede, but hath power of his awne wyll, and determeth so in his hert to kepe his virgin, doth well. Fynally, he that ioyneth his virgin in mariage, doth well: but he that ioyneth not his virgin in mariage, doth beter. ^noteThe wife is bounde to the lawe, as longe as hir hu&esset;bande lyueth. But yf hir hu&esset;bande slepe, she is at liberty to mary vnto whom she wil, onely that it be done in the LORDE. But she is happier yf she so abyde after my iudgment. I thinke verely that I also haue the sprete of God.

Previous section

Next section