²⁷ Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.^{(A) 28} But if you do marry, you have not sinned;^(B) 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.

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.