The Excellence of Love

13 If I speak with the (A)tongues of men and of (B)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a (C)clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of (D)prophecy, and know all (E)mysteries and all (F)knowledge; and if I have (G)all faith, so as to (H)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I (I)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I (J)surrender my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love (K)is patient, love is kind and (L)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not (M)arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it (N)does not seek its own, is not provoked, (O)does not take into account a wrong suffered, (P)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but (Q)rejoices with the truth; [b](R)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [c](S)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are (T)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we (U)know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [d]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we (V)see in a mirror [e]dimly, but then (W)face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also (X)have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [f]greatest of these is (Y)love.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Early mss read that I may boast
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:7 Or covers
  3. 1 Corinthians 13:8 Lit prophecies
  4. 1 Corinthians 13:11 Lit have become...have done away with
  5. 1 Corinthians 13:12 Lit in a riddle
  6. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Lit greater