Concerning the Unmarried

²⁵ Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord,^(A) but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy^(B) is trustworthy.

⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command.^(A)

² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

⁴⁰ In my judgment,^(A) she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

⁸ I am not commanding you,^(A) but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace^(B) of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(C) that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,^(D) so that you through his poverty might become rich.^(E)

¹⁰ And here is my judgment^(F) about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.^(G)

¹² To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord):^(A) If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.

¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^(A) but as a fool.^(B)

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy^(A) we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.^{(B) 2} Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(C) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(D) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(E) in the sight of God.

¹⁷ Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.^(A) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,^(B) as those sent from God.^(C)