1 Corinthians 7:5
- 1 Corinthians 7:5
(KJV) Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent
for a time, that ye may give yourselves to
fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt
you not for your incontinency.
(1611 KJV) Defraud you not one the other, except it bee with
consent for a time, that yee may giue your selues to
fasting and prayer, and come together againe, that Satan
tempt you not for your incontinencie.
(1587 Geneva Bible) Defraude not one another, except it be wt
consent for a time, that ye may giue your selues to
fasting and praier, and againe come together that Satan
tempt you not for your incontinecie.
(1526 Tyndale) Withdrawe not youre selves one from another
excepte it be with consent for a tyme for to geve youre selves to
fastynge and prayer. And
afterwarde come agayne to the same thynge lest Satan tempt you for youre
incontinencye.
Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season,
that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan
tempt you not because of your incontinency.
(1901 ASV) Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season,
that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan
tempt you not because of your incontinency.
(AMP) Do not refuse and deprive and defraud each other [of your due marital
rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote
yourselves unhindered to prayer. But afterwards resume marital relations, lest
Satan tempt you [to sin] through your lack of restraint of sexual desire.
(CEB) 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.
(CEV) 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.
-
(CSB) Do not deprive one another — except when you agree for a time, to
devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may
tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
- (1899 Douay Rheims American Edition) Defraud not one another, except, perhaps,
by consent, for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; and return
together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency.
(ERV) Don’t refuse to give your bodies to each other. But you might both agree
to stay away from sex for a while so that you can give your time to prayer. Then
come together again so that Satan will not be able to tempt you in your
weakness.
(ESV) Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited
time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so
that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(GNB) Do not deny yourselves to each other, unless you first agree to do so for
a while in order to spend your time in prayer; but then resume normal marital
relations. In this way you will be kept from giving in to Satan's temptation
because of your lack of self-control.
(HCSB) Do not deprive one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to
devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may
tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(LB) So do not refuse these rights to each other. The only exception to this
rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from the rights
of marriage for a limited time, so that they can give themselves more completely
to prayer. Afterwards, they should come together again so that Satan won’t be
able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control.
(NASV) Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you
may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not
tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(NCV) Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other, unless you both agree to
stay away from sexual relations for a time so you can give your time to prayer.
Then come together again so Satan cannot tempt you because of a lack of
self-control.
(NET) Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement for a specified
time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then resume your
relationship, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of
self-control.
(NIRV) You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other except when you both
agree to do so. And that should be only to give yourselves time to pray for a
while. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt
you when you can’t control yourselves.
(NIV) Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time,
so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that
Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(NLV) Do not keep from each other that which belongs to each other in marriage
unless you agree for awhile so you can use your time to pray. Then come together
again or the devil will tempt you to do that which you know you should not do.
(NLT) Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to
refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more
completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan
won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
(RSV) Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that
you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan
tempt you through lack of self-control.
(VOICE) So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed
to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come
together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on
self-control.
(2011 NAB-Roman Catholic) Do not deprive each other, except perhaps by mutual
consent for a time, to be free for prayer, but then return to one another, so
that Satan may not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent for
an appointed time, so that you may devote time to prayer and may come together
again, in order that Satan may not keep tempting you for your lack of
self-control.
Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
μη αποστερειτε αλληλους ει μη τι αν εκ συμφωνου προς καιρον ινα σχολαζητε
τη νηστεια και τη προσευχη και
παλιν επι το αυτο συνερχησθε ινα μη πειραζη υμας ο σατανας δια την ακρασιαν υμων
Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
μη αποστερειτε αλληλους ει μητι αν εκ συμφωνου προς καιρον ινα σχολασητε τη
προσευχη και παλιν επι το αυτο ητε ινα μη πειραζη υμας ο σατανας δια την
ακρασιαν υμων
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
P 1 - Third Century
P 46 - circa 200 AD
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus -
Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
(original)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 06 - Paris: Claromontanus - Sixth century
P 025 - Ninth century
33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus
Receptus for this verse
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus -
Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
(corrected)
K 018 - Ninth century
L 020 - Ninth century
Published Critical Greek Texts with
Corruptions
Omit “fasting and”
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Affected Teaching
Fasting can be an integral part of one’s personal devotion to the Lord. Fasting
is not necessarily a time where one deprives themselves of food and water. What
if a person decides to physically fast while praying for a spouse? What would
happen to them if God willed them to be single? They would never eat or drink
again.
(Isa 58:6 KJV) Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands
of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and
that ye break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6 speaks of a fast but it is a fast whereby spiritual activity is
replacing other activities. It speaks of giving out the Gospel. There must be
harmonious consent on both partners to come apart for while. Now when this verse
speaks of fasting and prayer, it is speaking that within the confines of
marriage, there must also be set a side time for spiritual work as well.
Christian marriage is not all physical bliss but there must be time for
spiritual things such as church attendance, Bible study, teaching the children,
etc. Now this verse also tells us that after these spiritual activities, you may
go back to being intimate again. Sometimes religious couples get so religious
that they begin to think that sex is dirty, and that opens the door for Satan to
tempt the deprived spouse. God is saying that He knows very well that because we
are in the flesh, it has an intense enticement on us and He is saying that we
are once again allowed to be intimate so Satan does not attempt to tempt and
adulterate the marriage. So by the modern versions omitting fasting in this
context, they are omitting a great spiritual lesson.
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