³⁸ So then, he who marries the virgin does right,^(A) but he who does not marry her does better.^[a]

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)

³⁷ But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.

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.

⁸ Now to the unmarried^[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.^(A)

Concerning Married Life

7 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”^{(A) 2} But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.

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