Bible verses about "intimacy" | LEB

¹⁸ Then* Yahweh God said, "it is not good that the man* is alone. I will make for him a helper _⌊as his counterpart_⌋."* ¹⁹ And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky,* and he brought each to the man* to see what he would call it. And whatever the man* called that living creature was its name. ²⁰ And the man* _⌊gave names_⌋* to every domesticated animal and to the birds of heaven* and to all the wild animals.* But for the man there was not found a helper _⌊as his counterpart_⌋.* ²¹ And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man.* While* he slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up _⌊the flesh where it had been_⌋.* ²² And Yahweh God fashioned the rib which he had taken from the man* into a woman and brought her to the man.* ²³ And the man* said,
"_⌊She is now_⌋* bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh; _⌊she_⌋* shall be called 'Woman,' for _⌊she was taken_⌋* from man." ²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. ²⁵ And the man* and his wife, both of them, were naked, and they were not ashamed.

²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

¹⁹ Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, things which I am telling you in advance, just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

² But because of sexual immorality, let each man have* his own wife and let each woman have her own husband.

¹ In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they* see your respectful, pure conduct. ³ Let your* adornment not be the external kind, braiding hair and putting on gold jewelry or putting on fine clothing, ⁴ but the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is highly valuable in the sight of God. ⁵ For in the same way formerly the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves by* being subject to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you have become when you* do good and are not frightened with respect to any terror. ⁷ Husbands, in the same way live with your wives _⌊knowledgeably_⌋*, as with the weaker female vessel, showing them honor as fellow heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. ⁸ And finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual affection, compassionate, humble, ⁹ not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For
"The one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his* tongue from evil and his lips must not speak deceit. ¹¹ And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. ¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.* ¹³ And who is the one who will harm you if you are a zealous adherent for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you might suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their intimidation or be disturbed,* ¹⁵ but set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for an accounting concerning the hope that is in you. ¹⁶ But do so with courtesy and respect, having a good conscience, so that in the things in which you are slandered, the ones who malign your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, _⌊if God wills it_⌋*, than for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order that he could bring you to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which also he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who were formerly disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, while* an ark was being constructed, in which a few—that is, eight souls—were rescued through water. ²¹ And* also, corresponding to this, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him.

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in lustful passion, just as also the Gentiles who do not know God;

¹ If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a ringing brass gong or a clashing cymbal. ² And if I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned,* but do not have love, it benefits me nothing. ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, ⁵ it does not behave dishonorably, it _⌊is not selfish_⌋*, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, ⁶ it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but whenever the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside the things of a child. ¹² For now we see through a mirror _⌊indirectly_⌋*, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know completely, just as I have also been completely known. ¹³ And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error.

¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our* sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

⁵ Therefore put to death _⌊what is earthly in you_⌋*: sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustful passion, evil desire, and greediness, which is idolatry,

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh.

¹⁵ _⌊Did not one God make them?_⌋* But a remnant of the spirit is his.* And what does the one God desire? An offspring of God.* _⌊You must be attentive to_⌋* your spirit, and you must not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

⁷ Husbands, in the same way live with your wives _⌊knowledgeably_⌋*, as with the weaker female vessel, showing them honor as fellow heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. ⁸ And finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual affection, compassionate, humble, ⁹ not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For
"The one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his* tongue from evil and his lips must not speak deceit. ¹¹ And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. ¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.*

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the one who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

⁴ Marriage must be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed be undefiled, because God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

¹ Now concerning the things about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to touch* a woman." ² But because of sexual immorality, let each man have* his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. ³ The husband must fulfill his obligation to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife does. ⁵ Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then you should be _⌊together_⌋* again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. ⁶ But I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷ I wish all people could be like myself, but each one has his own gift from God, one in this way and another in that way. ⁸ Now I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am. ⁹ But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. ¹⁰ To the married I command—not I, but the Lord—a wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if indeed she does separate, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. ¹² Now to the rest I say—not the Lord—if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if any wife has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the brother, since otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. The brother or the sister is not bound in such cases. But God has called us* in peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? ¹⁷ But to each one as the Lord has apportioned. As God has called each one, thus let him live—and thus I order in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was anyone called after* being circumcised? He must not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? He must not become circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. ²⁰ Each one in the calling in which he was called—in this he should remain. ²¹ Were you called while a slave? Do not let it be a concern to you. But if indeed you are able to become free, rather make use of it. ²² For the one who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedperson. Likewise the one who is called while free is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ Each one in the situation in which he was called, brothers—in this he should remain with God. ²⁵ Now concerning virgins I do not have a command from the Lord, but I am giving an opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy. ²⁶ Therefore, I consider this to be good because of the impending distress, that it is good for a man to be thus. ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸ But if you marry, you have not sinned, and if the virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have affliction in the flesh, and I would spare you. ²⁹ But I say this, brothers: the time is shortened, that from now on even those who have wives should be as if they do not have wives, ³⁰ and those who weep as if they do not weep, and those who rejoice as if they do not rejoice, and those who buy as if they do not possess, ³¹ and those who make use of the world as if they do not make full use of it. For the present form of this world is passing away. ³² But I want you to be free from care. The unmarried person cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. ³³ But the one who is married cares for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, ³⁴ and he is divided. And the unmarried woman or the virgin cares for the things of the Lord, in order that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. ³⁵ Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not that I may put a restriction on you, but to promote appropriate and devoted service to the Lord without distraction. ³⁶ But if anyone thinks he is behaving dishonorably concerning his virgin, if she is past her prime* and it ought to be thus, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin. Let them marry. ³⁷ But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has authority concerning his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well. ³⁸ So then, the one who marries* his own virgin does well, and the one who does not marry her will do better. ³⁹ A wife is bound for as long a time as her husband lives. But if her husband _⌊dies_⌋*, she is free to marry whomever she wishes, only in the Lord. ⁴⁰ But she is happier if she remains thus, according to my opinion—and I think I have the Spirit of God.