Bible verses about "celibacy" | Great

¹ The sprete speaketh euydently, that in the later tymes some shall departe from the fayth, and shall geue hede vnto spretes of erroure, and deuelysshe doctrines of them ² which speake false thorowe ypocrysye, & haue their consciences marcked wt an hote yron, ³ forbyddynge to mary, & commaundynge to abstayne from meates which God hath created to be receaued with geuynge thanckes, of them whych beleue, & knowe the trueth.

² A Bisshoppe therfore must be blameles, the husbande of one wyfe, dilygent, sober, discrete, a keper of hospitalite: apte to teach:

⁹ knowynge thys, howe that the lawe is not geuen vnto a ryghteous man, but vnto the vnryghteous and disobedyent, to the vngodly and to synners, to vnholy and vncleane: to murtherers of fathers and murtherers of mothers, to manstears, ¹⁰ to whormongers: to them that defyle them selues whyth mankynde: to manstealers: to lyars, to periured, and yf ther be eny other thynge that is contrary to the holsome doctryne,

¹ As concernynge the thynges wherof ye wrote vnto me: it is good for a man, not to touche a woman.

¹³ Ther hath none other temptacyon taken you, but soche as foloweth the nature of man. But God is faythfull whych shall not suffer you to be tempted aboue youre strength: but shall in the myddes of the temptacyon make awaye, that ye maye be able to beare it.

¹ And I loked, and lo, a lambe stode on the mount Syon, & with hym an .C. & .xliiii. thousande hauynge his fathers name written in theyr forheddes. ² And I herde a voyce from heuen, as the sounde of many waters, and as the voyce of a gret thoundre. And I herde the voyce of harpers harpynge with theyr harpes. ³ And they songe as it were a newe songe, before the seate, & before the foure beastes, & the elders, & no man coulde learne that songe, but the hondred & .xliii.M. which were redemed from the erth. ⁴ These are they, which were not defyled wt wemen, for they are virgyns. These folowe the lambe whythersoeuer he goeth. These were redemed from men, beynge the fyrste frutes vnto God and to the lambe, ⁵ & in their mouthes was founde no gyle. For they are with oute spot before the trone of God.

²⁶ I suppose therfore that it is good for the present necessite. For it is good for a man so to be.

² Neuerthelesse, to a voyde whordome let euery man haue hys wyfe: and let euery woman haue her husbande.

⁹ Do ye not knowe, how that the vnryghteous shall not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not deceaued. For nether fornicatours, nether worshyppers of ymages, nether aduoutrers, nether weaklynges, nether abusers of them selues wyth mankynde,

¹⁰ Hys disciples saye vnto him: yf the mater be so betwene man & wyfe, then is it not good to mary. ¹¹ He sayd vnto them: all men cannot comprehend this saying saue they to whom it is geuen: ¹² for ther are some chaste whych are so borne out of their mothers wombe. And ther are some chaste, which be made chaste of men. And ther be chaste, which haue made them selues chaste for the kyngdome of heuens sake. He that can comprehende it, let him comprehend it.

⁷ For I wolde that all men were as I my selfe am: but euery man hath his proper gyfte of God, one after this manner, another after that. ⁸ I saye vnto them that be vnmaryed and wyddowes: it is good for them, yf they abyde euen as I do. ⁹ But and yf they cannot abstayne, let them mary. For it is better to mary, then to burne.

¹ As concernynge the thynges wherof ye wrote vnto me: it is good for a man, not to touche a woman. ² Neuerthelesse, to a voyde whordome let euery man haue hys wyfe: and let euery woman haue her husbande. ³ Let the husbande geue vnto the wyfe due beneuolence. Lykewyse also the wyfe vnto the husbande. ⁴ The wyfe hath not power of her awne body: but the husbande. And lykewyse the husbande hath not power of his awne body: but the wyfe. ⁵ Wythdrawe not youre selues one from another, except it be with consent for a tyme, for to geue youre selues to fastynge and prayer. And afterwarde come together agayne, lest Satan tempte you for youre incontinencie. ⁶ This I saye of fauoure, and not of commaundement. ⁷ For I wolde that all men were as I my selfe am: but euery man hath his proper gyfte of God, one after this manner, another after that. ⁸ I saye vnto them that be vnmaryed and wyddowes: it is good for them, yf they abyde euen as I do. ⁹ But and yf they cannot abstayne, let them mary. For it is better to mary, then to burne. ¹⁰ Unto the maryed commaunde, not I, but the Lord: Let not the wyfe be separated from the husband. ¹¹ If she separate her selfe, let her remayne vnmaryed, or be reconciled vnto her husbande agayne. And let not the husbande put awaye his wyfe from him. ¹² To the remnaunt speake I, not the Lorde If eny brother haue a wyfe that beleueth not, yf she be content to dwell with him, let hym not put her awaye. ¹³ And the woman whych hath to her husbande an infidell, & consent to dwell wyth her, let her not put hym awaye. ¹⁴ For the vnbeleuynge husbande is sanctified by the wyfe, & the vnbeleuinge wyfe is sanctifyed by the husbande. Or els were your chyldren vncleane: but nowe are they holye. ¹⁵ But & yf the vnbeleuynge departe, let him departe. A brother or a syster is not in subieccyon to soche. But God hath called vs in peace. ¹⁶ For how knowest thou (o woman) whether thou shalt saue thy husbande or no? Other howe knowest thou (o man) whether thou shalt saue thy wyfe or no? ¹⁷ but euen as God hath distributed to euery man. As the Lorde hath called euery man, so let hym walke: and so ordeyn I in all congregacyons. ¹⁸ If eny man be called beynge circumcised, let him not adde vncircumcisyon. If eny be called vncircumcised, let hym not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcisyon is nothynge, and vncircumcisyon is nothinge: but the kepynge of the commaundementes of God. ²⁰ Let euery man abyde in the same callinge, wherin he was called. ²¹ Art thou called a seruaunt? care not for it. Neuerthelesse yf thou mayst be fre, vse it rather. ²² For he that is called in the Lorde, beynge a seruaunt, is the Lordes freman. Lykewyse he that is called beynge fre, is Christes seruaunt. ²³ Ye are dearly bought, be not ye the seruauntes of men. ²⁴ Brethren, let euery man wherin he is called, therin abyde wyth God. ²⁵ As concernynge virgins, I haue no commaundement of the Lorde: yet geue I counsell, as one that hath obtayned mercye of the Lord, to be faythfull. ²⁶ I suppose therfore that it is good for the present necessite. For it is good for a man so to be. ²⁷ Art thou bounde vnto a wyfe? seke not to be losed. Art thou loosed from a wyfe? seke not a wyfe. ²⁸ But and yf thou marye a wyfe, thou hast not synned. Lykewyse, yf a virgyn mary, she hath not synned. Neuerthelesse soche shall haue trouble in their flesshe: but I fauoure you. ²⁹ This saye I brethren, the tyme is shorte. It remayneth, that they whych haue wyues, be as though they had none: ³⁰ and they that wepe, be as though they wept not: and they that reioyce, be as though they reioyced not: & they that bye, be as though they possessed not: ³¹ and they that vse this worlde, be as though they vsed it not. For the fassyon of thys worlde goeth awaye. ³² I wolde haue you without care. He that is vnmaryed, careth for the thynges that belong to the Lord, howe he maye please the Lord. ³³ But he the hath maryed a wyfe careth for the thinges that are of the worlde, howe he maye please his wyfe. ³⁴ There is difference betwene a virgin & a wife. The syngle woman careth for the thinges that are of the Lorde, that she maye be holy both in bodye & also in sprete. Agayne: she that is maryed, careth for the thinges that pertayne to the worlde, how she maye please her husbande. ³⁵ This speake I for youre profet, not to tangle you in a snare: but that ye maye folowe it which is honest & comly, & that ye maye cleaue vnto the Lorde without separacion. ³⁶ If eny man thynke that it is vncomly for his virgin, yf she passe the tyme of maryage, and yf so nede require, let him do what he lysteth, he synneth not: let them be coupled in mariage. ³⁷ Neuerthelesse, he that purposeth surely in his herte, hauynge no nede: but hath power ouer his awne will: & hath so decreed in his hert, that he will kepe his virgin, doth well. So then, he that ioyneth his virgin in mariage doth well. ³⁸ But he that ioyneth not his virgin in mariage, doth better. ³⁹ The wyfe is bounde to the mariage, as longe as her husband lyueth. If her husband dye, she is at libertie to mary with whom she will, onely in the Lorde. ⁴⁰ But she is happier, yf she so abyde, after my iudgement. And I thinke verely, that I haue the sprete of God.

¹⁸ Fle fornicacion. Euery synne that a man doth, is without the body. But he that is a fornicator, synneth against his awne body. ¹⁹ Ether knowe ye not, how that youre bodyes are the temple of the holy ghost, which dwelleth in you, whom ye haue of God, and how that ye are not youre awne? ²⁰ For ye are dearly bought. Therfore glorifye God in youre bodyes, and in youre spretes, which are Goddes.

³² I wolde haue you without care. He that is vnmaryed, careth for the thynges that belong to the Lord, howe he maye please the Lord. ³³ But he the hath maryed a wyfe careth for the thinges that are of the worlde, howe he maye please his wyfe. ³⁴ There is difference betwene a virgin & a wife. The syngle woman careth for the thinges that are of the Lorde, that she maye be holy both in bodye & also in sprete. Agayne: she that is maryed, careth for the thinges that pertayne to the worlde, how she maye please her husbande. ³⁵ This speake I for youre profet, not to tangle you in a snare: but that ye maye folowe it which is honest & comly, & that ye maye cleaue vnto the Lorde without separacion. ³⁶ If eny man thynke that it is vncomly for his virgin, yf she passe the tyme of maryage, and yf so nede require, let him do what he lysteth, he synneth not: let them be coupled in mariage. ³⁷ Neuerthelesse, he that purposeth surely in his herte, hauynge no nede: but hath power ouer his awne will: & hath so decreed in his hert, that he will kepe his virgin, doth well. So then, he that ioyneth his virgin in mariage doth well. ³⁸ But he that ioyneth not his virgin in mariage, doth better. ³⁹ The wyfe is bounde to the mariage, as longe as her husband lyueth. If her husband dye, she is at libertie to mary with whom she will, onely in the Lorde. ⁴⁰ But she is happier, yf she so abyde, after my iudgement. And I thinke verely, that I haue the sprete of God.