1 Corinthians 13
13
The Way of Love
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have #[ch. 14:1, 39; Matt. 7:22]; See Acts 2:18 prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, #Matt. 17:20; Mark 11:23; [Luke 17:6]so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3#[Matt. 6:2] If I give away all I have, and #Dan. 3:28if I deliver up my body to be burned,#13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 # [Prov. 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 4:8] Love is patient and #[2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12] kind; love #Acts 7:9 does not envy or boast; it #See ch. 4:6is not arrogant 5or rude. It #See ch. 10:24 does not insist on its own way; it #[Rom. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19]is not irritable or resentful;#13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing 6it #[Rom. 1:32; 2 Thess. 2:12] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but #[2 John 4; 3 John 3, 4]rejoices with the truth. 7#ch. 9:12 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, #[See ver. 4 above]endures all things.
8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For #[ch. 8:2]we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but #[John 15:15]when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When 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. 12For #James 1:23; [Num. 12:8; Job 36:26; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:7] now we see in a mirror dimly, but #1 John 3:2; See Matt. 5:8 then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as #See ch. 8:3I have been fully known.
13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
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1 Corinthians 13
13
1Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings or of angels. If I don’t have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal. 2Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don’t have love, I am nothing at all. 3Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give myself over to a difficult life so I can brag. If I don’t have love, I get nothing at all.
4Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. 5It does not dishonor other people. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs. 6Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. 7It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.
8Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away. 9What we know now is not complete. What we prophesy now is not perfect. 10But when what is complete comes, the things that are not complete will pass away. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a foggy mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.
13The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.
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