1 Corinthians 13:1-14:19

New American Standard Bible 1995

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. ² 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. ³ 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.

⁴ Love ^(K)is patient, love is kind and ^(L)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not ^(M)arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it ^(N)does not seek its own, is not provoked, ^(O)does not take into account a wrong suffered, ^6 (P)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^(Q)rejoices with the truth; ^7 [b](R)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ 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. ⁹ 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.

Prophecy a Superior Gift

14 ^(Z)Pursue love, yet ^(AA)desire earnestly ^(AB)spiritual gifts, but especially that you may ^(AC)prophesy. ² For one who ^(AD)speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one ^[g]understands, but ^[h]in his spirit he speaks ^(AE)mysteries. ³ But one who prophesies speaks to men for ^(AF)edification and ^(AG)exhortation and consolation. ⁴ One who ^(AH)speaks in a tongue ^(AI)edifies himself; but one who ^(AJ)prophesies ^(AK)edifies the church. ⁵ Now I wish that you all ^(AL)spoke in tongues, but ^(AM)even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who ^(AN)speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive ^(AO)edifying.

⁶ But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of ^(AP)revelation or of ^(AQ)knowledge or of ^(AR)prophecy or of ^(AS)teaching? ⁷ Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? ⁸ For if ^(AT)the ^[i]bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? ⁹ So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be ^(AU)speaking into the air. ¹⁰ There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of ^[j]languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a ^[k](AV)barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a ^[l]barbarian ^[m]to me. ¹² So also you, since you are zealous of ^[n]spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the ^(AW)edification of the church.

¹³ Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ^15 (AX)What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will ^(AY)sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. ¹⁶ Otherwise if you bless ^[o]in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ^[p]ungifted say ^(AZ)the “Amen” at your ^(BA)giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not ^(BB)edified. ¹⁸ I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; ¹⁹ however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.