A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. … Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. … Do not deprive each other except 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 selfcontrol. I say this as a concession, not as a command.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself.

Pr 31:10; Pr 31:10, Pr 31:23; 1Co 7:2, 1Co 7:5-6; Ep 5:21, Ep 5:25-33, Ge 2:24

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.