²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned;^(A) and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

⁴ Marriage should be honored by all,^(A) and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.^(B)

²³ I call God as my witness^(A)—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you^(B) that I did not return to Corinth.

³² I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs^(A)—how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.^(B) But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided^(C) devotion to the Lord.

³⁶ If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong^[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning.^(D) They should get married.

²⁶ Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is.^(A)