35. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.
36. But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin.
37. But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry.
38. So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
39. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord.
40. But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this.