Book of Common Prayer

13 If I talk with the tongues of men and even of angels, but if I do not love people, then I am only like the sound of a big horn or a loud bell.

² If I speak words from God, if I can understand all secrets, and know everything, if I can move mountains by believing, but if I do not love people, I am nothing, even though I can do all of these things.

³ If I give away all I have, and if I give my body to be burned, but if I do not love people, I get nothing out of it.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. Love is not proud and does not boast.

⁵ Love does not do things that are not nice. Love does not just think of itself. Love does not get angry. Love holds no wrong feelings in the heart.

⁶ Love is not glad when people do wrong things. But it is always glad when they do right.

⁷ Love forgives everything. Love is always trusting, and always hoping, and never gives up.

⁸ Love never ends. The gift of speaking words from God will end. The gift of speaking in different tongues or languages will stop. The gift of knowing many things will end.

⁹ Now we know only a little, and we can speak only a little of God's words.

¹⁰ But when everything becomes perfect, that part will come to an end.

¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child. I understood like a child. I thought like a child. But when I became a man, I stopped doing things like a child.

¹² Now it is like looking in a looking-glass which does not make things clear. We cannot see and understand things plainly. But when things become perfect, then we shall fully know and understand everything, just as God knows.

¹³ These three things will remain for ever. They are faith, hope, and love. And love is the greatest of them.

¹⁴ When they came to the disciples, they saw many people around them. Some scribes were talking with the disciples.

¹⁵ The people were all very much surprised when they saw Jesus. They ran to him and greeted him.

¹⁶ Jesus asked his disciples, `What are you talking about with them?'

¹⁷ One of the people said, `Teacher, I brought my son to you. A bad spirit is in him so he cannot talk.

¹⁸ Wherever it takes hold of him, it throws him around. It makes him foam at his mouth. It makes him make noises with his teeth. He is getting weak and thin. I asked your disciples to drive the bad spirit out, but they could not do it.'

¹⁹ Jesus said, `You people today do not believe. How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.'

²⁰ So they brought the boy to him. As soon as the bad spirit saw him, he threw the boy around. The boy fell on the ground and rolled around. Foam was coming from his mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the father, `How long has he had this spirit?' He answered, `Since he was a child.

²² Often it has thrown him in the fire and in the water. It has tried to kill him. If you can do anything for him, show us that you share our suffering by helping us.'

²³ Jesus said to him, `You say, "If you can." Anything can be done for the person who believes.'

²⁴ Right away the father of the child, with tears in his eyes, said loudly, `I do believe! Help me to believe more!'

²⁵ Jesus saw many people come running together. He talked to the bad spirit: `You bad spirit who stops the boy from hearing and talking! I tell you, come out of him and do not go into him again!'

²⁶ The bad spirit screamed and threw the boy around. Then it came out of him and left him like a dead person. Many of the people even said, `The boy is dead.'

²⁷ But Jesus took his hand and helped him to get up. The boy stood up.

²⁸ Jesus went into the house. His disciples were alone with him. They asked him, `Why could we not drive out the bad spirit?'

²⁹ Jesus said to them, `This kind of bad spirit does not come out unless people talk to God and fast.'