1 KwabaseKhorinte 7
1 Mayelana lezindaba elaloba ngazo: “Kuhle ukuba indoda ingabi lobudlelwano bemacansini lowesifazane.”
With reference to the subjects about which you wrote to me: It is good for a man to remain single.
2 Kodwa njengoba kulokuhlobonga okungaka, indoda yinye kumele ibe lobudlelwano bemacansini lomkayo, lomfazi munye abe lendoda yakhe.
But, owing to the prevalence of immorality, I advise every man to have his own wife, and every woman her husband.
3 Indoda kumele igcwalise umlandu wayo wokuthathana kumkayo, kube njalo lomfazi endodeni yakhe.
A husband should give his wife her due, and a wife her husband.
4 Umfazi kalamandla ngomzimba wakhe kodwa uwunikela kumkakhe. Ngokufanayo, lendoda kayilamandla ngomzimba wayo kodwa iwunikela kumkayo.
It is not the wife, but the husband, who exercises power over her body; and so, too, it is not the husband, but the wife, who exercises power over his body.
5 Lingancitshani ngaphandle kokuba kungokokuvumelana njalo okwesikhatshana, ukuze lizinikele ekukhulekeni. Libuye lihlangane futhi ukuze uSathane angalilingi ngenxa yokusilela kokuzithiba kwenu.
Do not deprive each other of what is due – unless it is only for a time and by mutual consent, so that your minds may be free for prayer until you again live as man and wife – otherwise Satan might take advantage of your want of self-control and tempt you.
6 Lokhu ngikutsho njengokuvumela, hatshi njengomlayo.
I say this, however, as a concession, not as a command.
7 Sengathi ngabe lonke linjengami. Kodwa umuntu ngamunye ulesipho sakhe esivela kuNkulunkulu, omunye ulalesi isipho, omunye laye ulalesiyana.
I should wish everyone to be just what I am myself. But everyone has his own gift from God – one in one way, and one in another.
8 Kwabangendanga labafelokazi ngithi: Kuhle kubo ukuba bahlale bengendanga, njengami.
My advice, then, to those who are not married, and to widows, is this: It would be good for them to remain as I am myself.
9 Kodwa nxa bengeke bazithiba, kabende, ngoba ukwenda kungcono kulokutshiseka ngokufisa.
But, if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to be consumed with passion.
10 Abathatheneyo ngibapha umlayo lo (hatshi mina, kodwa iNkosi): Umfazi akumelanga ehlukane lendoda yakhe.
To those who are married my direction is – yet it is not mine, but the Master’s – that a woman is not to leave her husband
11 Kodwa nxa ekwenzile, kahlale engendanga loba abuyisane lendoda yakhe. Lendoda akumelanga imlahle umkayo.
(If she has done so, she should remain as she is, or else be reconciled to her husband) and also that a man is not to divorce his wife.
12 Kwabanye ngithi (mina, hatshi iNkosi): Nxa umzalwane elomfazi ongasilokholwa kodwa evuma ukuhlala laye, akumelanga amlahle.
To all others I say – I, not the Master – If a follower of the Lord is married to a woman, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with him, he should not divorce her;
13 Njalo nxa owesifazane elendoda engakholwayo ivuma ukuhlala laye, akumelanga ayilahle.
and a woman who is married to a man, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with her, should not divorce her husband.
14 Ngoba indoda engakholwayo isingcweliswe ngomkayo, lomfazi ongakholwayo usengcweliswe ngendoda yakhe ekholwayo. Kungenjalo ngabe abantwana benu bangcolile, kodwa okwamanje bangcwele.
For, through his wife, the husband who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ’s people; and the wife who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ’s people through the Lord’s follower whom she has married. Otherwise your children would be “defiled,” but, as it is, they belong to Christ’s people.
15 Kodwa nxa ongakholwayo etshiya, myekeleni enze njalo. Owesilisa kumbe owesifazane okholwayo phakathi kabotshelwanga phakathi komumo onje; uNkulunkulu usibizele ukuhlala ngokuthula.
However, if the unbeliever wishes to be separated, let them be so. Under such circumstances neither is bound; God has called you to live in peace.
16 Wazi njani, mfazi, mhlawumbe uzasindisa indoda yakho? Loba, wazi njani ndoda, mhlawumbe uzasindisa umkakho?
How can you tell, wife, whether you may not save your husband? And how can you tell, husband, whether you may not save your wife?
17 Lanxa kunjalo, lowo lalowo ekuphileni kumele agcine leyondawo iNkosi emuphe yona njalo abizelwe kuyo nguNkulunkulu. Lo ngumlayo engiwubeka emabandleni wonke.
In any case, a person should continue to live in the condition which the Lord has allotted to them, and in which they were when God called them. This is the rule that I lay down in every church.
18 Indoda yayivele isisokile ekubizweni kwayo na? Kayingabi ngengasokanga. Indoda yayingasokanga ekubizweni kwayo na? Akumelanga isokwe.
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? Then he should not efface his circumcision. Has a man been called when uncircumcised? Then he should not be circumcised.
19 Ukusoka lokungasoki konke kuyize. Ukugcina imilayo kaNkulunkulu yikho okuqakathekileyo.
Circumcision is nothing; the want of it is nothing; but to keep the commands of God is everything.
20 Lowo lalowo kahlale kulesosimo ayekuso ekubizweni kwakhe nguNkulunkulu.
Let everyone remain in that condition of life in which they were when the call came to them.
21 Wawuyisigqili na ekubizweni kwakho? Kakungakukhathazi, lanxa ungathola ukukhululeka kwakho, yenza njalo.
Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that trouble you. No, even if you are able to gain your freedom, still do your best.
22 Ngoba lowo owayeyisigqili ekubizweni kwakhe yiNkosi, ungokhululekileyo weNkosi; ngokufanayo, lowo owayekhululekile ekubizweni kwakhe uyisigqili sikaKhristu.
For the person who was a slave when they were called to the master’s service is the Master’s freedman; so, too, the person who was free when called is Christ’s slave.
23 Lathengwa ngentengo; kalingabi yizigqili zabantu.
You were bought, and the price was paid. Do not let yourselves become slaves to people.
24 Bazalwane, umuntu munye ngamunye, njengolomlandu kuNkulunkulu, kumele ahlale ekulesosimo uNkulunkulu ambizela kuso.
Friends, let everyone remain in the condition in which they were when they were called, in close communion with God.
25 Mayelana lezintombi ezigcweleyo: Kangilamlayo ovela eNkosini, kodwa ngahlulela njengothembekileyo ngomusa weNkosi.
With regard to unmarried women, I have no command from the Master to give you, but I tell you my opinion, and the Master in his mercy has made me worthy to be trusted.
26 Ngenxa yokukhathazeka kwakhathesi, ngicabanga ukuthi kuhle kini ukuba lihlale linjengoba linjalo.
I think, then, that, in view of the time of suffering that has now come upon us, what I have already said is best – that a man should remain as he is.
27 Uthethe na? Ungadingi ukwehlukana. Kawuthathanga na? Ungathathi.
Are you married to a wife? Then do not seek to be separated. Are you separated from a wife? Then do not seek for a wife.
28 Kodwa nxa uthatha, kawenzanga sono njalo nxa intombi egcweleyo isenda kayonanga. Kodwa labo abathathanayo bazabona inhlupho ezinengi kulokhukuphila, njalo ngifuna ukuliphephisa kulokhu.
Still, if you should marry, that is not wrong; nor, if a young woman marries, is that wrong. But those who marry will have much trouble to bear, and my wish is to spare you.
29 Engikutshoyo, bazalwane, yikuthi isikhathi sifitshane. Kusukela khathesi kusiya phambili labo abalabafazi kabaphile kungathi kabalabo:
What I mean, friends, is this – the time is short. Meanwhile, let those who have wives live as if they had none,
30 labo abakhalayo, kube sengathi kabakhali; labathokozayo babe njengabangathokoziyo; labo abathenga ulutho, kube sengathi kalusilo lwabo ukuba balugcine;
those who are weeping as if not weeping, those who are rejoicing as if not rejoicing, those who buy as if not possessing,
31 labo abasebenzisa izinto zasemhlabeni, kube sengathi kabathathekanga kuzo. Ngoba umhlaba lo kulesisimo sawo sakhathesi uyedlula.
and those who use the good things of the world as using them sparingly; for this world as we see it is passing away.
32 Ngifuna ukuba linganqineki. Umuntu ongathathanga unqinekela izindaba zeNkosi, ukuba angayithokozisa kanjani iNkosi.
I want you to be free from anxiety. The unmarried man is anxious about the Master’s cause, desiring to please him;
33 Kodwa umuntu othetheyo unqinekela izindaba zalo umhlaba, ukuba angamthokozisa kanjani umkakhe,
while the married man is anxious about worldly matters, desiring to please his wife;
34 lezifiso zakhe zehlukene phakathi. Umfazi ongendanga loba intombi egcweleyo inqinekela izindaba zeNkosi: Isifiso sayo yikuzinikela eNkosini ngakho kokubili umzimba lomoya. Kodwa umfazi owendileyo unqinekela izindaba zalo umhlaba, ukuba angamthokozisa kanjani umkakhe.
and so his interests are divided. Again, the unmarried woman, whether she is old or young, is anxious about the Master’s cause, striving to be pure both in body and in spirit, while the married woman is anxious about worldly matters, desiring to please her husband.
35 Ngitsho lokhu ukuba kube lusizo kini, hatshi ukulivimbela. Ngifuna ukuba liphile ngendlela eqondileyo ngokuzinikela okupheleleyo eNkosini.
I say this for your own benefit, not with any intention of putting a halter round your necks, but in order to secure for the Master seemly and constant devotion, free from all distraction.
36 Nxa umuntu ecabanga ukuthi uziphatha ngokungafanelanga entombini egcweleyo athandana layo, esilokhu isiba ndala, njalo esizwa kusithi kufanele athathe, kenze njengokuthanda kwakhe. Kenzi sono. Kumele bathathane.
If, however, a father thinks that he is not acting fairly by his unmarried daughter, when she is past her youth, and if under these circumstances her marriage ought to take place, he should act as he thinks right. He is doing nothing wrong – let the marriage take place.
37 Kodwa umuntu osenze isinqumo engqondweni yakhe engancindezelwanga kodwa elamandla okuzibamba esifisweni sakhe, njalo osemise engqondweni yakhe ukungayithathi intombi leyo, umuntu lo laye wenza into eqondileyo.
On the other hand, a father, who has definitely made up his mind, and is under no compulsion, but is free to carry out his own wishes, and who has come to the decision, in his own mind, to keep his unmarried daughter at home will be doing right.
38 Ngakho-ke, lowo othatha intombi egcweleyo wenza okuqondileyo, kodwa lowo ongayithathiyo wenza okungcono kakhulu.
In short, the one who consents to his daughter’s marriage is doing right, and yet the other will be doing better.
39 Owesifazane ubotshelwe endodeni yakhe nxa isaphila. Kodwa indoda yakhe ingafa, ukhululekile ukwendela kwenye ayithandayo, kodwa kumele ibe seNkosini.
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives; but, if the husband should pass to his rest, the widow is free to marry anyone she wishes, provided he is a believer.
40 Ngokubona kwami, uyathokoza kakhulu nxa ehlala enjalo, njalo ngiyakholwa ukuthi ngiloMoya kaNkulunkulu.
Yet she will be happier if she remains as she is – in my opinion, for I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
