6. I say this to give you permission to stay away from sexual relations for a time. It is not a command to do so.
7. I wish that everyone were like me, but each person has his own gift from God. One has one gift, another has another gift.
8. Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for them to stay unmarried as I am.
9. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.
10. Now I give this command for the married people. (The command is not from me; it is from the Lord.) A wife should not leave her husband.
11. But if she does leave, she must not marry again, or she should make up with her husband. Also the husband should not divorce his wife.
12. For all the others I say this (I am saying this, not the Lord): If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer, and she is happy to live with him, he must not divorce her.