Amor de casal
O amor de casal é celebrado na Bíblia como dom sagrado. O Cântico dos Cânticos exalta a beleza do amor conjugal — íntimo, exclusivo e forte como a morte.
Set thou me as a signet on thine heart, as a signet on thine arm; for love is strong as death, envy is hard as hell; the lamps thereof be[the] lamps of fire, and of flames.
Many waters be not able to quench charity, neither floods shall oppress it. Though a man give all the chattel of his house for love, he shall despise, or reckon it, as nought.
My sister spousess, thou hast wounded mine heart; thou hast wounded mine heart, in one of thine eyes, and in one hair of thy neck.
Kiss he me with the kiss of his mouth. For thy loves be better than wine,
and give odour with best oint-ments. Thy name is like oil shed [or poured] out; therefore [the] young damsels loved thee.
Lo! my love, thou art fair; lo! thou art fair, thine eyes be the eyes of culvers.
Lo! my darling, thou art fair and shapely; our bed is fair as flowers.
And the Lord God said, It is not good that a man be alone; make we to him an helper like to himself.
And the Lord God builded the rib which he had taken from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam.
And Adam said, This is now a bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; this shall be called virago, for she is taken of man.
Wherefore a man shall forsake [his] father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be twain [or two] in one flesh.
He that findeth a good woman, findeth a good thing; and of the Lord he shall draw up mirth. He that putteth away a good woman, putteth away a good thing; but he that holdeth an adulteress, is a fool and unwise.
Thy vein be blessed; and be thou glad with the woman of thy young waxing age.
An hind most dearworthy; and an hart calf most acceptable. Her teats fill thee in all time; and delight thou continually in the love of her.
My son, why art thou deceived of an alien woman; and art fostered in the bosom of another?
And so they be not now twain, but one flesh. Therefore man separate [or part] not that thing that God hath joined, [or knit together].
Charity is patient, it is benign; charity envieth not, it doeth not wickedly, it is not blown [with pride],
it is not covetous, [or ambitious, or covetous of worships], it seeketh not those things that be his own [or her own], it is not stirred to wrath, it thinketh not evil,
it joyeth not on [or in] wicked-ness, but it joyeth together to [or with] truth;
it suffereth all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things, it sustaineth all things.
So and men shall love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself;
for no man hated ever his own flesh, but nourisheth and fostereth it, as Christ doeth the church.
Nevertheless ye all, each man love his wife as himself; and the wife dread her husband.
And upon all these things have ye charity, that is the bond of perfectness [or of perfection].
Therefore it is better, that two be together than one; for they have profit of their fellowship.
If one falleth down, he shall be underset of the tother; woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth, he hath none to raise him up.
And if twain sleep together, they shall be nourished together; how shall one be made hot?
And if any man hath [the] mastery against one, twain [or two] against-stand him; a threefold cord is broken of hard.
Whether one made not, and the residue of spirit is his? and what seeketh one, no but the seed of God? Therefore keep ye your spirit, and do not thou despise the wife of thy youth;
When a man hath taken late a wife, he shall not go forth to battle, neither anything of the common needs shall be enjoined to him, but he shall give attention without blame to his household, that he be glad in one year with his wife.