1 Corinthians 13
Wycliffe Bible
13 If I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and I have not charity, I am made as brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling.
2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowing [and all knowing, or science], and if I have all faith, so that I move hills from their place [so that I bear over hills from one place to another], and I have not charity, I am nought.
3 And if I part all my goods into the meats of poor men, and if I betake my body, so that I burn, and if I have not charity, it profiteth to me nothing.
4 Charity is patient, it is benign; charity envieth not, it doeth not wickedly, it is not blown [it is not in-blown with pride],
5 it is not covetous [of worships], it seeketh not those things that be his own [it seeketh not those things that be her own], it is not stirred to wrath, it thinketh not evil,
6 it joyeth not on wickedness, but it joyeth together to truth; [it joyeth not in wickedness, forsooth it joyeth together with truth;]
7 it suffereth all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things, it sustaineth all things.
8 Charity falleth never down, whether prophecies shall be voided, either languages shall cease, either science shall be destroyed [whether prophecies shall be voided, or languages shall cease, or science shall be destroyed].
9 For a part we know, and a part we prophesy; [For of part we know, and of part we prophesy;]
10 but when that shall come that is perfect, that thing that is of part shall be voided.
11 When I was a little child, I spake as a little child, I understood as a little child, I thought as a little child; but when I was made a man, I voided those things that were of a little child.
12 And we see now [Forsooth we see now] by a mirror in darkness, but then face to face; now I know of part, but then I shall know, as [and] I am known.
13 And now dwelleth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the most of these is charity.
1 Corinthians 13
New Matthew Bible
The nature and attributes of love.
13 Though I spoke with the tongues of men and angels, and yet had no love, I would be even as sounding brass, or as a ringing cymbal. 2 And though I could prophesy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge – yea if I had all faith, so that I could move mountains out of their places – and yet had no love, I would be nothing. 3 And if I bestowed all my goods to feed the poor, and even if I gave my body to be burned, and yet had no love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long, and is kind. Love does not envy. Love is not contrary, does not swell up, 5 does not deal dishonourably, seeks not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinks no evil; 6 does not take pleasure in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 suffers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures in all things. 8 Though prophesying fail, or tongues cease, or knowledge vanish away, yet love never falls away.
9 For our knowledge is imperfect, and our prophesying is imperfect. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is imperfect shall be put away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I imagined as a child. But as soon as I was a man, I put away childishness. 12 Now we see as is reflected to us in a mysterious word, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know imperfectly, but then I shall know even as I am known. 13 Now faith, hope, and love, these three things abide, but the chief of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13
1599 Geneva Bible
13 1 He showeth that there are gifts so excellent, which in God’s sight are not corrupt, if Charity be away: 4 and therefore he digresseth unto the commendation of it.
1 Though [a]I speak with the tongues of men and [b]Angels, and have not love, I am as sounding brass, or a [c]tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I had the gift of prophecy, and knew all secrets and all knowledge, yea, if I had all [d]faith, so that I could remove (A)mountains, and had not love, I were nothing.
3 And though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body, that I be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
4 [e]Love [f]suffereth long: it is bountiful: love envieth not: love doth not boast itself: it is not puffed up:
5 It doth [g]no uncomely thing: it seeketh not her own thing: it is not provoked to anger: it thinketh no evil:
6 It rejoiceth not in iniquity, but [h]rejoiceth in the truth:
7 It suffereth all things: it believeth all things: it hopeth all things: it endureth all things.
8 [i]Love doth never fall away, though that prophesyings be abolished, or the tongues cease, or [j]knowledge vanish away.
9 [k]For we know in [l]part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect, is come, then that which is in part shall be abolished.
11 [m]When I was a child, I spake as a child: I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 [n]For [o]now we see through a glass darkly: but then shall we see face to face. Now I know in part: but then shall I know even as I am known.
13 [p]And now abideth faith, hope and love, even these three: but the chiefest of these is love.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 He reasoneth first of Charity, the excellency whereof he first showeth by this, that without it, all other gifts are as nothing before God which thing he proveth partly by an induction, and partly also by an argument taken of the end, wherefor those gifts are given. For to what purpose are those gifts, but to God’s glory, and the profit of the Church, as is before proved? so that those gifts, without Charity, have no right use.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 A very earnest kind of amplifying a matter, as if he said, If there were any tongues of Angels, and I had them, and did not use them to the benefit of my neighbor, it were nothing else but a vain and prattling type of babbling.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1 That giveth a rude and no certain sound.
- 1 Corinthians 13:2 By faith, he meaneth the gift of doing miracles, and not that faith which justified, which cannot be void of Charity as the other may.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4 He describeth the force and nature of charity, partly by a comparison of contraries, and partly by the effects of itself: whereby the Corinthians may understand, both how profitable it is in the Church, and how necessary and also how far they are from it: and therefore how vainly and without cause they are proud.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4 Word for word deferreth wrath.
- 1 Corinthians 13:5 It is not contumelious.
- 1 Corinthians 13:6 Rejoice that righteousness in the righteous. For the Hebrews mean by truth, righteousness.
- 1 Corinthians 13:8 Again he commendeth the excellency of charity, in that that it shall never be abolished in the Saints, whereas the other gifts which are necessary for the building up of the Church, so long as we live here, shall have no place in the world to come.
- 1 Corinthians 13:8 The way to get knowledge by prophesying.
- 1 Corinthians 13:9 The reason: Because we are now in the state, that we have need to learn daily, and therefore we have need of those helps, to wit, of the gift of tongues, and knowledge, and also of those that teach them. But to what purpose serve they then, when we have obtained and gotten the full knowledge of God, which serve now but for them which are imperfect, and go by degrees to perfection?
- 1 Corinthians 13:9 We learn imperfectly.
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 He setteth forth that that he said, by an excellent similitude, comparing this life to our infancy or childhood, wherein we stagger and stammer rather than speak, and think and understand but childish things, and therefore have need of such things as may form and frame our tongue and mind: But when we become men, to what purpose should we desire that stammering, those childish toys, and such like things, whereby our childhood is framed by little and little?
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 The applying of the similitude of our childhood to this present life, wherein we darkly behold heavenly things, according to the small measure of light which is given us, through the understanding of tongues, and hearing the teachers and ministers of the Church: of our man’s age and strength, to that heavenly and eternal life, wherein when we behold God himself present, and are lightened with his full and perfect light, to what purpose should we desire the voice of man, and those worldly things which are most imperfect? But yet then, shall all the Saints be knit both with God, and between themselves with most fervent love, and therefore charity shall not be abolished, but perfected, although it shall not be showeth forth and entertained by such manner of duties as peculiarly and only belong to the infirmity of this life.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 All this must be understood by comparison.
- 1 Corinthians 13:13 The conclusion: As if the Apostle should say, Such therefore shall be our condition then: but now we have three things, and they remain sure if we be Christ’s as without which true religion cannot consist, to wit, faith, hope, and charity. And among these, charity is the chiefest, because it ceaseth not in the life to come as the rest do, but is perfected and accomplished. For seeing that faith and hope tend to things which are promised, and are to come, when we have presently gotten them, to what purpose should we have faith and hope? but yet there at length shall we truly and perfectly love both God, and one another.
1 Corinthians 13
Authorized (King James) Version
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
2001 by Terence P. Noble
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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