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 can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but am destitute of Love, I have but become a loud-sounding trumpet 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!
If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of 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 distribute all my possessions to the poor, and give up my body to be burned, but am destitute of Love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is long-suffering, and kind; love is never envious, never boastful, never conceited, never behaves unbecomingly;
Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited.
5 love is never self-seeking, never provoked, never reckons up her wrongs;
She does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs.
6 love never rejoices at evil, but rejoices in the triumph of truth;
She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth.
7 love bears with all things, ever trustful, ever hopeful, ever patient.
She knows how to be silent. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance.
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 fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if there are languages, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end.
9 For our knowledge is incomplete, and our preaching is incomplete,
For our knowledge is imperfect, and so is our prophesying;
10 but, when the perfect has come, that which is incomplete will end.
but when the perfect state of things is come, all that is imperfect will be brought to an end.
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 talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when I became a man, I put from me childish ways.
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 the present we see things as if in a mirror, and are puzzled; but then we shall see them face to face. For the present the knowledge I gain is imperfect; but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 Meanwhile faith, hope, and love endure – these three, but the greatest of these is love.
And so there remain Faith, Hope, Love--these three; and of these the greatest is Love.
