1. Now, about what you wrote: "It’s good for a man not to have sex with a woman."
2. Each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband because of sexual immorality.
3. The husband should meet his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should do the same for her husband.
4. The wife doesn’t have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, the husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5. Don’t refuse to meet each other’s needs unless you both agree for a short period of time to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come back together again so that Satan might not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6. I’m saying this to give you permission; it’s not a command.
7. I wish all people were like me, but each has a particular gift from God: one has this gift, and another has that one.
8. I’m telling those who are single and widows that it’s good for them to stay single like me.
9. But if they can’t control themselves, they should get married, because it’s better to marry than to burn with passion.
10. I’m passing on the Lord’s command to those who are married: A wife shouldn’t leave her husband,
11. but if she does leave him, then she should stay single or be reconciled to her husband. And a man shouldn’t divorce his wife.
12. I’m telling everyone else (the Lord didn’t say this specifically): If a believer has a wife who doesn’t believe, and she agrees to live with him, then he shouldn’t divorce her.
13. If a woman has a husband who doesn’t believe and he agrees to live with her, then she shouldn’t divorce him.
14. The husband who doesn’t believe belongs to God because of his wife, and the wife who doesn’t believe belongs to God because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be contaminated by the world, but now they are spiritually set apart.
15. But if a spouse who doesn’t believe chooses to leave, then let them leave. The brother or sister isn’t tied down in these circumstances. God has called you to peace.