1 Corinthians 13

1 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!

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

2 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!

And 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 have not love, I am nothing.

3 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!

And if I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing.

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

Love suffereth long, [and] is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

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

doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;

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

rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth;

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

beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 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.

Love never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall be done away; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall be done away.

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

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

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

but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

11 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.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.

12 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.

For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.

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

But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.