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¹ But of thilke thingis that ye han write to me, it is good to a man to touche not a womman.² But for fornycacioun eche man haue his owne wijf, and ech womman haue hir owne hosebonde.³ The hosebonde yelde dette to the wijf, and also the wijf to the hosebonde.⁴ The womman hath not power of hir bodi, but the hosebonde; and the hosebonde hath not power of his bodi, but the womman.⁵ Nyle ye defraude eche to othere, but perauenture of consent to a tyme, that ye yyue tent to preier; and eft turne ye ayen to the same thing, lest Sathanas tempte you for youre vncontynence.⁶ But Y seie this thing as yyuyng leeue, not bi comaundement.⁷ For Y wole, that alle men be as my silf. But eche man hath his propre yifte of God; oon thus, and another thus.⁸ But Y seie to hem, that ben not weddid, and to widewis, it is good to hem, if thei dwellen so as Y.⁹ That if thei conteynen not hem silf, be thei weddid; for it is betere to be weddid, than to be brent.

¹⁰ But to hem that ben ioyned in matrymonye, Y comaunde, not Y, but the Lord, that the wijf departe not fro the hosebonde;¹¹ and that if sche departith, that sche dwelle vnweddid, or be recounselid to hir hosebonde; and the hosebonde forsake not the wijf.¹² But to othere Y seie, not the Lord. If ony brother hath an vnfeithful wijf, and sche consenteth to dwelle with hym, leeue he hir not.¹³ And if ony womman hath an vnfeithful hosebonde, and this consentith to dwelle with hir, leeue sche not the hosebonde.¹⁴ For the vnfeithful hosebonde is halewid bi the feithful womman, and the vnfeithful womman is halewid bi the feithful hosebonde. Ellis youre children weren vncleene, but now thei ben hooli.¹⁵ That if the vnfeithful departith, departe he. For whi the brother or sistir is not suget to seruage in siche; for God hath clepid vs in pees.¹⁶ And wherof wost thou, womman, if thou schalt make the man saaf; or wherof wost thou, man, if thou schalt make the womman saaf?

¹⁷ But as the Lord hath departid to ech, and as God hath clepid ech man, so go he, as Y teche in alle chirchis.¹⁸ A man circumcidid is clepid, brynge he not to the prepucie. A man is clepid in prepucie, be he not circumcidid.¹⁹ Circumcisioun is nouyt, and prepucie is nouyt, but the kepyng of the maundementis of God.²⁰ Ech man in what clepyng he is clepid, in that dwelle he.²¹ Thou seruaunt art clepid, be it no charge to thee; but if thou maist be fre, `the rather vse thou.²² He that is a seruaunt, and is clepid in the Lord, is a freman of the Lord. Also he that is a freman, and is clepid, is the seruaunt of Crist.²³ With prijs ye ben bouyt; nyle ye be maad seruauntis of men.²⁴ Therfor ech man in what thing he is clepid a brothir, dwelle he in this anentis God.

²⁵ But of virgyns Y haue no comaundement of God; but Y yyue counseil, as he that hath mercy of the Lord, that Y be trewe.²⁶ Therfor Y gesse, that this thing is good for the present nede; for it is good to a man to be so.²⁷ Thou art boundun to a wijf, nyle thou seke vnbyndyng; thou art vnboundun fro a wijf, nyle thou seke a wijf.²⁸ But if thou hast takun a wijf, thou hast not synned; and if a maidun is weddid, sche synnede not; nethelesse siche schulen haue tribulacioun of fleisch.²⁹ But Y spare you. Therfor, britheren, Y seie this thing, The tyme is schort. Another is this, that thei that han wyues, be as thouy thei hadden noon;³⁰ and thei that wepen, as thei wepten not; and thei that ioien, as thei ioieden not; and thei that bien, as thei hadden not;³¹ and thei that vsen this world, as thei that vsen not. For whi the figure of this world passith.³² But Y wole, that ye be without bisynesse, for he that is without wijf, is bisi what thingis ben of the Lord, hou he schal plese God.³³ But he that is with a wijf, is bysy what thingis ben of the world, hou he schal plese the wijf, and he is departid.³⁴ And a womman vnweddid and maidun thenkith what thingis ben of the Lord, that sche be hooli in bodi and spirit. But sche that is weddid, thenkith what thingis ben of the world, hou sche schal plese the hosebonde.³⁵ And Y seie these thingis to youre profit, not that Y caste to you a snare, but to that that is onest, and that yyueth esynesse, with outen lettyng to make preieris to the Lord.

³⁶ And if ony man gessith hym silf to be seyn foule on his virgyn, that sche is ful woxun, and so it bihoueth to be doon, do sche that that sche wole; sche synneth not, if sche be weddid.³⁷ For he that ordeynede stabli in his herte, not hauynge nede, but hauynge power of his wille, and hath demed in his herte this thing, to kepe his virgyn, doith wel.³⁸ Therfore he that ioyneth his virgyn in matrymonye, doith wel; and he that ioyneth not, doith betere.

³⁹ The womman is boundun to the lawe, as longe tyme as hir hosebonde lyueth; and if hir hosebonde is deed, sche is delyuered fro the lawe of the hosebonde, be sche weddid to whom sche wole, oneli in the Lord.⁴⁰ But sche schal be more blessid, if sche dwellith thus, aftir my counsel; and Y wene, that Y haue the Spirit of God.