This is the only verse in this section in which Paul gives a direct instruction, expressed by a second person imperative.

Refuse is the verb that in 6.7 was translated “defrauded.” Here the meaning is to deprive the husband (or wife) of what in verse 3 was stated to be his (or her) right. Moffatt translates “Do not withhold sexual intercourse from one another.” One may also say “you should not abstain from sexual intercourse with your married partner.” In languages that require the use of euphemism here, one can express this phrase as “you should not abstain from coming together” “… not abstain from living and eating together,” or “Do not stop sleeping together.”

Except translates an unusual Greek phrase that seems to suggest that Paul is speaking tentatively or even grudgingly (see verse 6). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “at most when you have agreed.” One may also say “Unless perhaps you agree to deny yourselves to each other like this.”

For a season (Good News Bible‘s “for a while”): a general expression is needed here. Jerusalem Bible‘s “for an agreed time” is too precise; New Jerusalem Bible has “for a limited time,” and similarly Barclay. The text states that the couple agree to abstain from intercourse for a while, but does not state that they agree on how long the time of abstinence should be. One could also say “for a short time.”

The rest of the verse consists of two clauses beginning with “in order that” in the Greek; literally “in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer and again be together, in order that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” As this translation shows, there is no “and” between the two “in order that” clauses, so it is difficult to link them both directly to the main verb “come together.” The construction that makes the best sense is also the one that is suggested by the order of the clauses: (1) “do not deny yourselves to one another, except … in order to devote yourselves to prayer”; (2) then “come together again so that Satan may not tempt you….” In translation it may be necessary to express (1) and (2) in separate sentences. It will be helpful in many languages to add the information “after that” or “after that time” after the word but; for example, “but after that, you should come together again….”

There are two more points that the translator should notice, even if he decides not to make them explicit in his translation. (1) The first “in order that” clause includes the instruction “come together again,” and this means “in order to devote yourselves to prayer and then come together again.” (2) Some translations, including Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible, understand the second “in order that” clause as equivalent to an imperative.

Devote yourselves includes the idea of having leisure for something, in this case, prayer. King James Version has “fasting and prayer,” but the first two words are almost certainly not part of the original text. The phrase devote yourselves may also be expressed as “give your time to.”

Then come together again is a euphemism for “resume normal marital relations,” as Good News Bible shows. Translators need to find a common language expression to render this phrase.

The name Satan may need a glossary note in some languages (see comment on 5.5).

The last few words, literally “because of your lack-of-self-control,” can be easily misunderstood if they are not translated dynamically and expanded to a certain extent. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “because the (sexual) drive in you is too strong,” and Bible en français courant says “otherwise you would risk no longer being able to control yourselves.” A more simple way to translate this is “because you cannot continue to abstain from sexual relations” or “because you cannot continue to abstain from sleeping together.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Do not abstain from sleeping together unless perhaps you agree to deny yourselves to each other like this for a short time in order to pray. But after that time you should continue to sleep together. In this way Satan will not be able to tempt you to sin because you cannot control your sexual drive.

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .