⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

Concluding Words

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.^[a]

¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection,^[a] and take delight in honoring each other.

¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Love Is the Greatest

13 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. ³ If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸ Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages^[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

¹⁰ Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

²¹ And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.^[a]

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

¹⁷ Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.^[a] Fear God, and respect the king.