1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

Though I speak in the ‘tongues’ of people, or even of angels, yet have not love, I have become mere echoing brass, or a clanging cymbal!

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

Even though I have the gift of preaching, and fathom all hidden truths and all the depths of knowledge; even though I have such faith as might move mountains, yet have not love, I am nothing!

3 If I give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

Even though I dole my substance to the poor, even though I sacrifice my body in order to boast, yet have not love, it avails me nothing!

4 Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

Love is long-suffering, and kind; love is never envious, never boastful, never conceited, never behaves unbecomingly;

5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

love is never self-seeking, never provoked, never reckons up her wrongs;

6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

love never rejoices at evil, but rejoices in the triumph of truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

love bears with all things, ever trustful, ever hopeful, ever patient.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

Love never fails. But, whether it be the gift of preaching, it will end; whether it be the gift of ‘tongues,’ it will cease; whether it be knowledge, it, too, will vanish.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;

For our knowledge is incomplete, and our preaching is incomplete,

10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.

but, when the perfect has come, that which is incomplete will end.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

When I was a child, I talked as a child, I felt as a child, I reasoned as a child; now that I am a man, I have done with childish ways.

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

As yet we see, in a mirror, dimly, but then – face to face! As yet my knowledge is incomplete, but then I will know in full, as I have been fully known.

13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.

Meanwhile faith, hope, and love endure – these three, but the greatest of these is love.