⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command.^{(A) 7} I wish that all of you were as I am.^(B) But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.^(C)

⁸ Now to the unmarried^[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.^{(D) 9} But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry,^(E) for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

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.