19. It is not important if anyone is circumcised or not. What is important is obeying God’s commands.
20. Each one of you should stay the way you were when God chose you.
21. If you were a slave when God chose you, don’t let that bother you. But if you can be free, then do it.
22. If you were a slave when the Lord chose you, you are now free in the Lord. You belong to the Lord. In the same way, if you were free when you were chosen, you are now Christ’s slave.
23. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be slaves to anyone else.
24. Brothers and sisters, in your new life with God, each one of you should continue the way you were when God chose you.
25. Now I write about people who are not married. I have no command from the Lord about this, but I give my opinion. And I can be trusted, because the Lord has given me mercy.
26. This is a time of trouble. So I think it is good for you to stay the way you are.
27. If you have a wife, don’t try to get free from her. If you are not married, don’t try to find a wife.
28. But if you decide to marry, that is not a sin. And it is not a sin for a girl who has never married to get married. But those who marry will have trouble in this life, and I want you to be free from this trouble.
29. Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean: We don’t have much time left. So starting now, those who have wives should be the same as those who don’t.
30. It should not be important whether you are sad or whether you are happy. If you buy something, it should not matter to you that you own it.
31. You should use the things of the world without letting them become important to you. This is how you should live, because this world, the way it is now, will soon be gone.