26 Then God said, k“Let lus make man1 in our image, after our likeness. And mlet them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
nmale and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but zof the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for ain the day that you eat1 of it you shall surely bdie.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; cI will make him a helper fit for2 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed3 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man dto see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam4 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a edeep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made5 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is fbone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
24 hTherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, iand they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both jnaked and were not ashamed.
The Fall
1 Now the kserpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, l“Did God actually say, m‘You1 shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, n“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be olike God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman psaw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,2 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were qnaked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God rwalking in the garden in the cool3 of the day, and the man and his wife shid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”4 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman twhom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent udeceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and vdust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring5 and wher offspring;
xhe shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your ydesire shall be for6 your husband,
and zhe shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said,
a“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have beaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
ccursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for dout of it you were taken;
for you are edust,
and to dust you shall return.”
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.7
12 r“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
4 s“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is tone.1 5 uYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be von your heart. 7 wYou shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 xYou shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as yfrontlets between your eyes. 9 zYou shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the wgods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
And he worshiped the Lord there.
5 Behold, I was qbrought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Tell the Coming Generation
A oMaskil1 of Asaph.
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 pI will open my mouth in a qparable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that rour fathers have told us.
4 sWe will not hide them from their children,
but ttell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a utestimony in Jacob
vand appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children wyet unborn,
and arise and xtell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not yforget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be zlike their fathers,
a astubborn and brebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. oOf Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of panxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children1 of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall qnot be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.2
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
1 rBlessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who swalks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and tit shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be ulike a fruitful vine
within your house;
vyour children will be wlike olive shoots
around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 xThe Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
6 May you ysee your children’s children!
zPeace be upon Israel!
13 For pyou formed my inward parts;
you qknitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.1
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in ryour book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
The Enticement of Sinners
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your csprings be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated1 always in her love.
20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?2
Warnings Against Adultery
20 My son, keep your zfather’s commandment,
and aforsake not byour mother’s teaching.
21 cBind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 dWhen you walk, they1 will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
4 zAn excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
24 vWhoever spares the rod hates his son,
1 The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
6 Grandchildren are vthe crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their fathers.
22 He who bfinds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the Lord.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not idepart from it.
15 pFolly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of qdiscipline drives it far from him.
13 iDo not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
15 gThe rod and hreproof give wisdom,
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
17 iDiscipline your son, and he will give you rest;
he will give delight to your heart.
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
10 1 vAn excellent wife wwho can xfind?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks ywool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises zwhile it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself2 with astrength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She bopens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.3
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known cin the gates
when he dsits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are eher clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and fthe teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to gthe ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done hexcellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your wvain1 life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your xportion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.
14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them done, with a portion of the Spirit in their union?1 And what was the one God2 seeking?3 Godly offspring. So guard yourselves4 in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but edivorces her,5 says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers6 his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Divorce
31 “It was also said, i‘Whoever jdivorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that keveryone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like achildren, you will never benter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever chumbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 d“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
3 And Pharisees came up to him and gtested him by asking, “Is it lawful to hdivorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning imade them male and female, 5 and said, j‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, k“Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your lhardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: mwhoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”1
6 But from the beginning of creation, f‘God made them male and female.’ 7 g‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife,1 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, h“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 kFor the lwrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and munrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For nwhat can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, ohave been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,1 in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but pthey became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, qthey became fools, 23 and rexchanged the glory of the immortal God for images sresembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore tGod gave them up in the ulusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a vlie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, wmen committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due xpenalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, yhaughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s zrighteous decree that those who practice such things adeserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Principles for Marriage
1 hNow concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to isexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her jconjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 kDo 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.
6 Now las a concession, not a command, I say this.1 7 mI wish that all were nas I myself am. But oeach has his own gift from God, pone of one kind and one of another.
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 qBut if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not rseparate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is smade holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, tthey are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you2 to upeace. 16 For how do you know, wife, vwhether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
21 wsubmitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives and Husbands
22 xWives, ysubmit to your own husbands, zas to the Lord. 23 For athe husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the bhead of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 cHusbands, love your wives, as Christ dloved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might esanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 fso that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be gholy and without blemish.1 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as htheir own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because iwe are jmembers of his body. 31 k“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and lthe two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mmystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Children and Parents
1 nChildren, oobey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 p“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 qFathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but rbring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Rules for Christian Households
18 qWives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 rHusbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 sChildren, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 tFathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has ldenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
14 pSo I would have younger widows marry, qbear children, rmanage their households, and sgive the adversary no occasion for slander.
Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You
3 fI thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a gclear conscience, as I hremember you iconstantly in my prayers jnight and day. 4 As I remember kyour tears, lI long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your msincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in nyour grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, lpure, mworking at home, kind, and nsubmissive to their own husbands, othat the word of God may not be reviled.
4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the xsexually immoral and yadulterous.
Wives and Husbands
1 Likewise, lwives, mbe subject to your own husbands, so that neven if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and opure conduct. 3 pDo not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the qhidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, rcalling him lord. And syou are ther children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
7 Likewise, uhusbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are vheirs with you1 of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
