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.
32. I want you to be free from worry. A man who is not married is busy with the Lord’s work. He is trying to please the Lord.
33. But a man who is married is busy with things of the world. He is trying to please his wife.
34. He must think about two things—pleasing his wife and pleasing the Lord. A woman who is not married or a girl who has never married is busy with the Lord’s work. She wants to give herself fully—body and spirit—to the Lord. But a married woman is busy with things of the world. She is trying to please her husband.