⁸ But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, [that as a practical matter] it is good if they remain [single and entirely devoted to the Lord] ^[a]as I am.

²⁶ I think then that because of the impending distress [that is, the pressure of the current trouble], it is good for a man to remain as he is.

²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned [in doing so]; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned [in doing so]. Yet those [who marry] will have troubles (special challenges) in this life, and I am trying to spare you that.

³² But I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; ³³ but the married man is concerned about worldly things, how he may please his wife,

⁴⁰ But in my opinion a widow is happier if she stays as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God [in this matter].