¹Zvino maererano nezvinhu zvamakandinyorera, ndinoti: Zvakanakira munhu kuti arege kubata mukadzi.

¹And concerning the things of which ye wrote to me: good [it is] for a man not to touch a woman,

²Asi nekuda kweupombwe, murume umwe neumwe ngaave nemukadzi wake, nemukadzi umwe neumwe ngaave nemurume wake.

²and because of the whoredom let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her proper husband;

³Murume ngaaripire mukadzi zvakamufanira; nemukadzi saizvozvowo kumurume.

³to the wife let the husband the due benevolence render, and in like manner also the wife to the husband;

⁴Mukadzi haana simba pamusoro pemuviri wake, asi murume; uye saizvozvowo murume haana simba pamusoro pemuviri wake, asi mukadzi.

⁴the wife over her own body hath not authority, but the husband; and, in like manner also, the husband over his own body hath not authority, but the wife.

⁵Musanyimana, kunze kwekutenderana kwechinguva, kuti muzvipe kukutsanya nekunyengetera, mugosanganazve, kuti Satani arege kukuidzai pakusagona kwenyu kuzvidzora.

⁵Defraud not one another, except by consent for a time, that ye may be free for fasting and prayer, and again may come together, that the Adversary may not tempt you because of your incontinence;

⁶Asi ndinotaura izvi nemvumo, kwete nemurairo.

⁶and this I say by way of concurrence — not of command,

⁷Nekuti ndinoda kuti dai vanhu vose vava seni. Asi munhu umwe neumwe une chipo chake chinobva kuna Mwari, mumwe cherudzi urwu, mumwe cheurwo.

⁷for I wish all men to be even as I myself [am]; but each his own gift hath of God, one indeed thus, and one thus.

⁸Asi ndinoti kune vasina kuwana nechirikadzi: Zviri nani kwavari kana vachigara seni.

⁸And I say to the unmarried and to the widows: it is good for them if they may remain even as I [am];

⁹Asi kana vasingagoni kuzvidzora, ngavawane; nekuti zviri nani kuti vawane pakutsva.

⁹and if they have not continence — let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn;

¹⁰Zvino kune vakawana ndinoraira, kwete ini asi Ishe, kuti mukadzi arege kubva kumurume wake,

¹⁰and to the married I announce — not I, but the Lord — let not a wife separate from a husband:

¹¹Asi kana iye achibva, ngaarambe asina kuwanikwa, kana ayananiswe nemurume wake, nemurume ngaarege kurasa mukadzi wake.

¹¹but and if she may separate, let her remain unmarried, or to the husband let her be reconciled, and let not a husband send away a wife.

¹²Zvino kune vamwe ndini ndinotaura, kwete Ishe, Kana hama ine mukadzi usingatendi, kana iye achida kugara naye, ngaarege kumurasa.

¹²And to the rest I speak — not the Lord — if any brother hath a wife unbelieving, and she is pleased to dwell with him, let him not send her away;

¹³Nemukadzi une murume usingatendi, kana iye achida hake kugara naye, ngaarege kumusiya.

¹³and a woman who hath a husband unbelieving, and he is pleased to dwell with her, let her not send him away;

¹⁴Nekuti murume usingatendi unoitwa mutsvene nemukadzi, nemukadzi usingatendi unoitwa mutsvene nemurume. Kana zvisina kudaro vana venyu vaiva netsvina, asi zvino vatsvene.

¹⁴for the unbelieving husband hath been sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife hath been sanctified in the husband; otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵Zvino kana usingatendi achizviparadzanisa, ngaaende. Hamarume kana hamakadzi haisungwi nezvakadaro; asi Mwari wakatidanira kurugare.

¹⁵And, if the unbelieving doth separate himself — let him separate himself: the brother or the sister is not under servitude in such [cases], and in peace hath God called us;

¹⁶Nekuti unozivei iwe mukadzi, zvimwe uchaponesa murume wako? Kana iwe murume unozivei, zvimwe uchaponesa mukadzi wako?

¹⁶for what, hast thou known, O wife, whether the husband thou shalt save? or what, hast thou known, O husband, whether the wife thou shalt save?

¹⁷Asi Mwari sezvaakagovera kune umwe neumwe, Ishe sezvaakadana umwe neumwe, ngaafambe saizvozvo. Ndizvo zvandinoraira pakereke dzose.

¹⁷if not, as God did distribute to each, as the Lord hath called each — so let him walk; and thus in all the assemblies do I direct:

¹⁸Kune mumwe here wakadamwa adzingiswa? Ngaarege kuzova usakadzingiswa. Kune umwe here wakadamwa asakadzingiswa, ngaaarege kudzingiswa.

¹⁸being circumcised — was any one called? let him not become uncircumcised; in uncircumcision was any one called? let him not be circumcised;

¹⁹Dzingiso hachizi chinhu, nekusadzingiswa hachizi chinhu, asi kuchengeta mirairo yaMwari.

¹⁹the circumcision is nothing, and the uncircumcision is nothing — but a keeping of the commands of God.

²⁰Umwe neumwe ngaagare pakudamwa kwaakadamwa nako.

²⁰Each in the calling in which he was called — in this let him remain;

²¹Wakadamwa uri muranda here? Usazvidya moyo nazvo; asi kana ungasunungurwa, zviri nani uzvishandise.

²¹a servant — wast thou called? be not anxious; but if also thou art able to become free — use [it] rather;

²²Nekuti uyo wakadamwa muna Ishe, ari muranda, wava musunungurwa waIshe; saizvozvowo uyo wakadamwa akasununguka, muranda waKristu.

²²for he who [is] in the Lord — having been called a servant — is the Lord`s freedman: in like manner also he the freeman, having been called, is servant of Christ:

²³Makatengwa nemutengo; musava varanda vevanhu.

²³with a price ye were bought, become not servants of men;

²⁴Umwe neumwe zvaakadanirwa, hama, ngaagare pane izvozvo naMwari.

²⁴each, in that in which he was called, brethren, in this let him remain with God.

²⁵Zvino maererano nemhandara, handina murairo waIshe; asi ndinotema sewakawana tsitsi dzaIshe kuva wakatendeka.

²⁵And concerning the virgins, a command of the Lord I have not; and I give judgment as having obtained kindness from the Lord to be faithful:

²⁶Naizvozvo ndinofunga kuti izvi zvakanaka nekuda kwematambudziko aripo, kuti zvakanakira munhu kuti zvidai.

²⁶I suppose, therefore, this to be good because of the present necessity, that [it is] good for a man that the matter be thus: —

²⁷Wakabatanidzwa kumukadzi here? Usatsvaka kusunungurwa. Wakasunungurwa kubva kumukadzi here? Usatsvaka mukadzi.

²⁷Hast thou been bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed; hast thou been loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

²⁸Asi zvino kana wawana, hauna kutadza; nemhandara kana ichiwanikwa, haina kutadza. Asi vakadaro vachava nedambudziko panyama; asi ini ndinoda kukutavirirai.

²⁸But and if thou mayest marry, thou didst not sin; and if the virgin may marry, she did not sin; and such shall have tribulation in the flesh: and I spare you.

²⁹Asi zvino izvi ndinozvitaura hama, kuti nguva ipfupi; kuti kubva zvino vane vakadzi vave sevasina;

²⁹And this I say, brethren, the time henceforth is having been shortened — that both those having wives may be as not having;

³⁰nevanochema, sevasingachemi; nevanofara sevasingafari; nevanotenga sevasina chinhu;

³⁰and those weeping, as not weeping; and those rejoicing, as not rejoicing; and those buying, as not possessing;

³¹nevanoshandisa nyika ino, sevasingaishandisi; nekuti chimiro chenyika ino chinopfuura.

³¹and those using this world, as not using [it] up; for passing away is the fashion of this world.

³²Zvino ndinoda kuti murege kuva nekufunganya. Usina kuwana unofunganya zvinhu zvaIshe, kuti ungafadza Ishe sei;

³²And I wish you to be without anxiety; the unmarried is anxious for the things of the Lord, how he shall please the Lord;

³³asi wakawana, unofunganya zvinhu zvenyika, kuti ungafadza mukadzi sei.

³³and the married is anxious for the things of the world, how he shall please the wife.

³⁴Pane musiyano pakati pemukadzi nemhandara. Usina kuwanikwa unofunganya zvinhu zvaIshe, kuti ave mutsvene zvose pamuviri nepamweya; asi uyo wakawanikwa unofunganya zvinhu zvenyika, kuti ungafadza murume sei.

³⁴The wife and the virgin have been distinguished: the unmarried is anxious for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, and the married is anxious for the things of the world, how she shall please the husband.

³⁵Izvi ndinotaurira rubatsiro rwenyu; kwete kuti ndikande musungo pamusoro penyu asi kuti mufambe zvakafanira nekunamatira Ishe musingakanganiswi.

³⁵And this for your own profit I say: not that I may cast a noose upon you, but for the seemliness and devotedness to the Lord, undistractedly,

³⁶Asi kana mumwe achifunga kuti haazvibati zvakafanira kumhandara yake, iyo yakura, uye zvakafanira kuti zviitike saizvozvo, ngaaite zvaanoda, haatadzi; ngavawaniswe.

³⁶and if any one doth think [it] to be unseemly to his virgin, if she may be beyond the bloom of age, and it ought so to be, what he willeth let him do; he doth not sin — let him marry.

³⁷Asi unomira akasimba pamoyo pake, asingamanikidzwi chinhu, asi ane simba pamusoro pechido chake, akatema mumoyo make kuti uchachengeta mhandara yake unoita zvakanaka.

³⁷And he who hath stood stedfast in the heart — not having necessity — and hath authority over his own will, and this he hath determined in his heart — to keep his own virgin — doth well;

³⁸Naizvozvo uyo unowananisa unoita zvakanaka; asi usingawananisi unoita zvinopfuura.

³⁸so that both he who is giving in marriage doth well, and he who is not giving in marriage doth better.

³⁹Mukadzi wakasungwa nemurairo kana murume wake achingova mupenyu chete; asi kana murume wake afa, wasununguka kuwanikwa newaanoda; asi muna Ishe chete.

³⁹A wife hath been bound by law as long time as her husband may live, and if her husband may sleep, she is free to be married to whom she will — only in the Lord;

⁴⁰Asi unganyanya kufara kana achigara akadaro, pakufunga kwangu uye ndinofungawo kuti neni ndine Mweya waMwari.

⁴⁰and she is happier if she may so remain — according to my judgment; and I think I also have the Spirit of God.