1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Legacy Standard Bible
31 But [a]you (A)earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I will yet show you a more excellent way.
The Excellence of Love
13 If I speak with the (B)tongues of men and of (C)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a (D)clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of (E)prophecy, and know all (F)mysteries and all (G)knowledge; and if I have (H)all faith, so as to (I)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I (J)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I (K)surrender my body [b]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love (L)is patient, love is kind, (M)is not jealous, does not brag, is not (N)puffed up; 5 it does not act unbecomingly, (O)does not seek its own, is not provoked, (P)does not take into account a wrong suffered; 6 (Q)it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but (R)rejoices with the truth; 7 [c](S)it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails, but if there are gifts of [d](T)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are (U)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we (V)know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the [e]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 [f]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we (W)see in a mirror [g]dimly, but then (X)face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also (Y)have been fully known. 13 But now abide faith, hope, love—these three; but the [h]greatest of these is (Z)love.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 12:31 Or earnestly desire
- 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some early mss that I may boast
- 1 Corinthians 13:7 Or covers
- 1 Corinthians 13:8 Lit prophecies
- 1 Corinthians 13:10 Or mature
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 Lit have become...have done away with
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 Lit in a riddle
- 1 Corinthians 13:13 Lit greater
1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
English Standard Version
31 But (A)earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
The Way of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have (B)prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, (C)so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 (D)If I give away all I have, and (E)if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 (F)Love is patient and (G)kind; love (H)does not envy or boast; it (I)is not arrogant 5 or rude. It (J)does not insist on its own way; it (K)is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it (L)does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but (M)rejoices with the truth. 7 (N)Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, (O)endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For (P)we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but (Q)when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For (R)now we see in a mirror dimly, but (S)then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as (T)I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast
- 1 Corinthians 13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
