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. And if I have (A)prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, (B)so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (C)If I give away all I have, and (D)if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

(E)Love is patient and (F)kind; love (G)does not envy or boast; it (H)is not arrogant or rude. It (I)does not insist on its own way; it (J)is not irritable or resentful;[b] it (K)does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but (L)rejoices with the truth. (M)Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, (N)endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For (O)we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but (P)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 (Q)now we see in a mirror dimly, but (R)then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as (S)I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing

13 If in the leshonot of Bnei Adam and malachim I speak, but I do not have ahavah, I have become only a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have nevu’ah and have da’as of all sodot and all da’as, and if I have all emunah so as to remove mountains, but ahavah I do not have, I am nothing.

And if I’m a marbitz tzedaka and give all I possess in gemilut chasadim and if I give my body al kiddush ha-Shem for sereifah (death by burning), but ahavah I do not have, I have gained nothing. [DANIEL 3:28]

Ahavah suffers long; ahavah is kind; ahavah does not have kinah; ahavah does not brag; ahavah is not puffed up in ga’avah (conceit, pride);

ahavah does not behave shamelessly; ahavah does not in anochiyut insist on its own way; ahavah is not touchy and vindictive, keeping a record of wrongs (ZECHARYAH 8:17).

Ahavah does not find simcha in evil, but rejoices in HaEmes.

Ahavah covers all things (MISHLE 10:12), believes all things, has tikvah (hope), even zitzfleisch, for all things.

Ahavah never fails. However, divrei nevu’ah will be abolished; leshonot will cease; da’as will come to an end.

For we have da’as in part, and we have divrei nevu’ah is part.

10 But when shleimah (completion) comes, the teilvaiz (partial) will disappear.

11 When I was a yeled, I used to speak like one, think like one, reason like one. But when I became mevugar (mature), I put away kinderyohrn. [Ps 131:2]

12 For still we see through a mirror indistinctly. But then [in the Olam Haba], distinctly, panim el panim. Now I have da’as only in part; then I will have da’as fully, even as also Hashem had full da’as of me. [Job 26:14; 36:26; Gn 32:30; Job 19:26]

13 But now remain emunah, tikvah, and ahavah, these shalosh (three). And the greatest of these is ahavah.