Questions about Marriage
1 Now I will answer the questions you asked in your letter. You asked, “Is it best for people not to marry?” 2 Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral. 3 Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. 4 A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. 5 So don't refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don't know of anything the Lord said about this matter. 7 I wish all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us.
8 My advice for the unmarried and for widows is that it is acceptable for them to remain single, just as I am. 9 But if you don't have enough self-control, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire.
10 I instruct married couples to stay together, and this is exactly what the Lord himself taught. A wife who leaves her husband 11 should either stay single or go back to her husband. And a husband should not leave his wife.
12 I don't know of anything else the Lord said about marriage. All I can do is to give you my own advice. If your wife isn't a follower of the Lord, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce her. 13 If your husband isn't a follower, but is willing to stay with you, don't divorce him. 14 Your husband or wife who isn't a follower is made holy by having you as a partner. This also makes your children holy and keeps them from being unclean in God's sight.
15 If your husband or wife isn't a follower of the Lord and decides to divorce you, then you should agree to it. You are no longer bound to that person. After all, God chose you and wants you to live at peace. 16 And besides, how do you know if you will be able to save your husband or wife who isn't a follower?
Obeying the Lord at All Times
17 In every church I tell the people to stay as they were when the Lord Jesus chose them and God called them to be his own. Now I say the same thing to you. 18 If you are already circumcised, don't try to change it. If you are not circumcised, don't get circumcised. 19 Being circumcised or uncircumcised isn't really what matters. The important thing is to obey God's commands. 20 So don't try to change what you were when God chose you. 21 Are you a slave? Don't let that bother you. But if you can win your freedom, you should. 22 When the Lord chooses slaves, they become his free people. And when he chooses free people, they become slaves of Christ. 23 God paid a great price for you. So don't become slaves of anyone else. 24 Stay what you were when God chose you.
Unmarried People
25 I don't know of anything the Lord said about people who have never been married. But I will tell you what I think. And you can trust me, because the Lord has treated me with kindness. 26 We are now going through hard times, and I think it is best for you to stay as you are. 27 If you are married, stay married. If you are not married, don't try to get married. 28 It isn't wrong to marry, even if you have never been married before. But those who marry will have a lot of trouble, and I want to protect you from this.
29 My friends, what I mean is that the Lord will soon come, and it won't matter if you are married or not. 30 It will be all the same if you are crying or laughing, or if you are buying or are completely broke. 31 It won't make any difference how much good you are getting from this world or how much you like it. This world as we know it is now passing away.
32 I want all of you to be free from worry. An unmarried man worries about how to please the Lord. 33 But a married man has more worries. He must worry about the things of this world, because he wants to please his wife. 34 So he is pulled in two directions. Unmarried women and women who have never been married worry only about pleasing the Lord, and they keep their bodies and minds pure. But a married woman worries about the things of this world, because she wants to please her husband. 35 What I am saying is for your own good—it isn't to limit your freedom. I want to help you to live right and to love the Lord above all else.
36 But suppose you are engaged to someone old enough to be married, and you want her so much that all you can think about is getting married. Then go ahead and marry. There is nothing wrong with that. 37 But it is better to have self-control and to make up your mind not to marry. 38 It is perfectly all right to marry, but it is better not to get married at all.
39 A wife should stay married to her husband until he dies. Then she is free to marry again, but only to a man who is a follower of the Lord. 40 However, I think I am obeying God's Spirit when I say she would be happier to stay single.
ǃGameb xa hâ dîdi
1 Tsî xoa du ge xūn xa ta ra ǃeream.
Khoeba i ge a ǃgâiba, tarekhoe-i ǀkha ǁgoe tama isa. 2 ǀAib di ǃaorosasib ǃaromab ge mâ aob hoaba ǁîb di ǂhunuma tarasa nî ūhâ tsî mâ taras hoasa ǁîs di ǂhunuma aoba. 3 A ra aob tsî taras hâra ǁîra sorosi ǂhâga dīǀoaǀoabagu, ǃgamesi-aiǂhanuga i a anuba khami. 4 Taras ra ǁîs aoba ǁîs di soros ǂama ǀgaiba mās ǁkhās khamib ge aoba ǁîb tarasa soros âb ai ǀgaiba nî mā. 5 Tā saro ǁnâugusa xu ro ǁaeroba ǀgores ǃnâ nî hâs ǃaroma tamas ka io, ǁîǃnābe ǃgamesi-aiǂhanuga xu ūdabasen, îb Satanna* saro ǁkhaesenǁoasib xa ǃaromahe hâse tā ǃâitsâ ro.
6 Nēsa ta ge ǀapemās ase ra mî tsî mîmās ases ose. 7 Xawe ta ra ǁkhores ge hoa khoen nî tita khami īsa, xawe i ge mâ-i hoa-e ǀō-aisa mās, khoe-e xu khoe-i ǁga ra ǃkharagasa Eloba xu ge ǃkhōǃoa.
8 Xawe ta ge ǃgame taman tsî ǃoataradi tsîna ra mîba tita khamin nî ǃgame tamase hâ ǃkhais a ǃgâisa. 9 Xawe ǁkhaesen ǁoan kao, an ǃgame. ǃGames ge turab xats nî khaus ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi.
10 ǃGame hâna ta ge tita mîmā tama hâ, xawe ǃKhūb ge ra mîmā, taras aoba xu ǀgora tidesa. 11 Tsîs ga aoba xu ǀgora, os ge ǃgame tamase nî hâ, ǁnā tamas ka ios ge aob ǀkha nî ǂkhîbagu; tsîb ge aoba taras âba ǀgoraxū tide.
12 Tsî nauna ta ge tita ra mîba, ǃKhūb mî tama. ǂGomsabeb ga ǂgomoǃnâ tarasa ūhâ tsîs ga ǁîsa ǁîb ǀkha ǁanǀhaosa māsenxao, ab ǁîba tā ǁîsa ǀgoraxū. 13 ǂGomsabes ga ǂgomoǃnâ aoba ūhâ tsîb ga ǁîba ǁîs ǀkha ǁanǀhaosa māsenxao, as ǁîsa tā ǁîba ǀgoraxū. 14 ǂGomoǃnâ aob taras ǃnâ-u ǃanuǃanuhe hâ tsî ǂgomoǃnâ taras aob ǃnâ-u ǃanuǃanuhe hâ amaga. ǁNāti i ga ī tama io, on ga sadu ôana ǃanuoǃnâ hâ, xawen ge nēsi a ǃanu. 15 ǂGomoǃnâ-i ga ǀgora ǂgao-o, a i ǀgora. ǂGom ra-i ge ǁnās ka īo, ǀguipa hâsa ǁgui-aihe tama hâ. Xaweb ge Eloba ǂkhîb ǃnâ ûis ǃoa ge ǂgai da. 16 Sas tarasa, mâtis a ǂan, sa aobas nî ǃgâiǃō kai ǃkhaisa? Tsî sats, aotsa, mâtits a ǂan, sa tarasats nî ǃgâiǃō kai ǃkhaisa?
Elob ge ǂgai du khami ûi
17 A i mâ-i hoa-e ǃKhūb ge ǂgaiǃnâ-i ǀgaub ǃnâ ûihâhâ, tsî Elob xa i ge ǂgaihe ǀgaub ai tanisen. Nēs ge hoa kerkhegu ǃnâ ta ra mîmā ǃkhaisa. 18 ǃGaohe hâse ga Elob xa ǂgaihe khoe-e, a i tā ǁî-i ǃgaosa* ǀkharaǀkhara ǂgao. ǃGaohe tamase ga ǂgaihe-e, a i tā ǃgao kaisen. 19 ǃGaohes tamas ka io ǃgaohe tama is ge xū tama, xawe Elob mîmāde ǁnâuǀnams ge a ǂhâǂhâsa. 20 A i mâ-i hoa-e ǁîs ǃnâ i ge ǂgaihe ǂgais ǃnâ hâhâ. 21 Khobosets ga ǂgaiheo, tā ǁîs xa ǂâiǂhansen tsî ǃnora ǁkhāts kao, ǁnā soasa sîsenū. 22 ǃKhūb ǃnâ khobose ǂgaihe hâ-i, ǃKhūb ǃnâ a ǃnorasa xuige. ǁNās ǁkhās xase i ge ǃnorasase ǂgaihe hâ-e a Xristub* di khobo. 23 ǃGomǀgausase du ge ǁamahe hâ, xuige tā khoen di khobo kai re. 24 ǁNā-amaga ǃgâsado, mâ ǀgaub ǀguib ai du ga ǂgaihe hâ, xawe Elob xa du ge ǂgaiǃnâhe mâsib ǃnâ hâhâ.
ǃGame taman tsî ǃoataradi xa hâ dîdi
25 Tsî oaxaedi ǂama ta ǃKhūb di mîmā-e ūhâ tama, xawe ta ti ǂâiǀgauba ra mā, tita ǃKhūb xa ǂgomǂgomsa ta nîse ǀkhomxahe hâta.
26 Nēsi hâ ǃgomsigu ǃaroma ta ge ǃgame tamase hâs a ǃgâi, ti ra ǂâi. 27 ǃGamets ga hâo, tā ǀgora ǂgao tsî ǃgame tamats ka io, tā tara-e ôa. 28 Tsî ǃgamets ka, ob ge ǁnāba ǁore tama hâ tsî oaxaes ga ǃgame os ge ǁore tama hâ, xawen ge ǁnān ǃgame rana ǃgomsiga nē ûib ǃnâ nî tsâ tsî ta ge sado ǁnāsa xu ra sâu ǂgao.
29 Ti ǃgâsado, nēn ǀkha ta ra ǂâibasens ge ǁaeb a ǃnubusa. ǁNā-amaga gu aogu hîa tarade ūhâga, ūhâ tamagu ase ûi 30 în ā rana ā taman ase, ǃgâiaǂgao rana ǃgâiaǂgao taman ase tsî ǁama rana ūhâ taman ase ī. 31 ǁNān hîa nē ǃhūbaib di xūn ǀkha ǁae hân ge ǁîn ǀkha ǁae tama khami nî ûi, nē ǃhūbaib sada xab nēsi ǂanhe khami gaxuse hâhâ tide tsî nî ǃgû-ī xui-ao.
32 Xawe ta ge ǂhansens ose du nî hâ ǃkhaisa ra ǁkhoreba du. ǃGame tama hâb ge ǃKhūb din xa ra ǂhansen, mâtib nî ǃKhūba ǂkhîǂkhî ǃkhais xa. 33 Xawe ǁnāb hîa ǃgame hâb ge ǃhūbaib din tsî mâtib nî taras âba ǂkhîǂkhî ǃkhais xa ra ǂhansen. 34 Tsîs ge ǁîb di ǂâisa ǀgam ǃkharaga ǃâra ǃnâ ǀgorasa.
ǃGame tama tarekhoes tamas ka io oaxaes ge ǃKhūb din xa ra ǂhansen, mâtis nî soros tsî gagas ǃnâ ǃanu ǃkhais xa, xawes ge ǃgame hâsa ǃhūbaib din tsî mâtis nî aob âsa ǂkhîǂkhî ǃkhais xa ra ǂhansen.
35 Tsî ta ge nēsa sadu di ǃgâiba ǃoa ra mî. Sado ta ra ǁkhae-amo tama, xawe sadu nî ǃgâi tsî ǂhanu xūna dī tsî ǂhanixū-i ose ǃKhūba ǃoabas ǃnâ ǀoasase mâisense.
36 Khoeb ga ǃgamebab mîmâiba hâ oaxaes ǃoagub ra anu tamase tanisen ti ǂâi tsîb ga turab âba kaise ǀgaisa tsîb ga kurin âs ra ǀgapi ǃkhaisa mûo, a ra ǃgame ǁore tamab xuige. 37 Xawe khoeb ga ǂgaob âb ǃnâ mâǁapo, ǂhâsi-i xare-e ūhâ tama i tsî turab âb ǃnâ ǃkhōdabasen tsî ǂgaob âb ǃnâ ǃgamebab mîmâiba hâs nî oaxaese hâ ǃkhaisa mîǁguio, ǁnāb ge ǃgâise ra dī. 38 ǁNā-amaga, ǁnāb oaxaes ǀkha ra ǃgameb ge ǃgâise ra dī, xawe ǁnāb ǁîs ǀkha ǃgame tamab ge ǁnās ǃgâ-ai ǃgâise ra dī.
39 Taras ge ǁîs aob ǀkha ǁîb a ûitsamas kōse ǃgaeǁarehe hâ, xawe aob âs ga ǁō, os ge a ǃnorasa ǂgaos ra khoeb ǀkha ǃgamesa, xaweb ge ǃKhūb ǃnâ nî ǂgom. 40 Xawe ti ǂâiǀgaub ǃoas ge ǃnāǂamsase ǃgâiǃgâxa, ǃgame tamases ga hâo. Tsî ta ge tita tsîn Elob di Gagaba ūhâ ti ra ǂâi.
