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The Supremacy of Love

13 If I speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away everything that I have and sacrifice myself,[a] but have no love, I gain nothing.

Love is always patient;
    love is always kind;
love is never envious
    or arrogant with pride.

Nor is she conceited,
and she is never rude;
she never thinks just of herself
    or ever gets annoyed.

She never is resentful;
is never glad with sin;
she’s always glad to side with truth,
    and pleased that truth will win.[b]

She bears up under everything;
    believes the best in all;
there is no limit to her hope,
    and never will she fall.

Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. 10 But when what is complete[c] comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. 12 Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, but then we will be face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Other mss. read sacrifice my body to be burned; or myself so that I may boast
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:6 The Gk. lacks shall win
  3. 1 Corinthians 13:10 Or perfect

13 If ean I speak laleō in the ho tongues glōssa of ho men anthrōpos and kai of ho angels angelos, but de do echō not have echō love agapē, I am ginomai a resounding ēcheō gong chalkos or ē a clanging alalazō cymbal kymbalon. And kai if ean I have echō the gift of prophecy prophēteia, and kai understand oida · ho all pas mysteries mystērion and kai all pas · ho knowledge gnōsis, and kai if ean I have echō all pas · ho faith pistis so that hōste I can remove methistēmi mountains oros, but de do echō not have echō love agapē, I am eimi nothing outheis. If I kan give away psōmizō everything pas · ho I egō own hyparchō, and kai if ean I surrender paradidōmi · ho my egō body sōma to hina be burned kauchaomai, but de do echō not have echō love agapē, it benefits me ōpheleō nothing oudeis.

· ho Love agapē is patient makrothumeō, love agapē is kind chrēsteuomai, · ho it does not ou envy zēloō. · ho Love agapē does not ou brag perpereuomai, it is not ou arrogant physioō, it is not ou rude aschēmoneō, it is not ou self-seeking zēteō, · ho it is not ou easily angered paroxynō, it keeps no ou account logizomai of ho wrongs kakos, it takes no ou pleasure chairō in epi · ho wrongdoing adikia, but de rejoices synchairō in the ho truth alētheia. Love bears stegō all pas things , believes pisteuō all pas things , hopes elpizō all pas things , endures hypomenō all pas things .

· ho Love agapē never oudepote comes to an end piptō. But de if eite there are prophecies prophēteia, they will be set aside katargeō; if eite there are tongues glōssa, they will cease pauō; if eite there is knowledge gnōsis, it will be set aside katargeō. For gar we know ginōskō in ek part meros and kai we prophesy prophēteuō in ek part meros, 10 but de when hotan what ho is complete teleios comes erchomai, the ho partial ek meros will be set aside katargeō. 11 When hote I was eimi a child nēpios, I talked laleō like hōs a child nēpios, I thought phroneō like hōs a child nēpios, I reasoned logizomai like hōs a child nēpios. When hote I became ginomai a man anēr, I set aside katargeō childish nēpios ways ho. · ho 12 For gar the present arti we are looking blepō through dia a mirror esoptron obscurely en ainigma, but de then tote face prosōpon to pros face prosōpon. Now arti I know ginōskō in ek part meros; then tote · de I will know fully epiginōskō, just as kathōs · kai I have been fully known epiginōskō. 13 And de now nyni remain menō faith pistis, hope elpis, and love agapē; · ho these houtos three treis. And de the greatest megas of these houtos is · ho love agapē.