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34 Also, there is difference between a virgin and a wife. The unmarried woman cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy, both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

35 And this I speak for your own benefit. Not to tangle you in a snare, but that you may be respectable and serve the Lord without distraction.

36 But if any man thinks he is behaving less than optimally toward his virgin, if she has passed the flower of her age, and so requires, let him do what he will. He does not sin. Let her be married.

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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.(A) But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided(B) devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[a] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning.(C) They should get married.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 7:36 Or if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage