1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) (2024)

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The Way of Love

13If 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 ^(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. ³^(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.

⁴^(E)Love is patient and ^(F)kind; love ^(G)does not envy or boast; it ^(H)is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It ^(I)does not insist on its own way; it ^(J)is not irritable or resentful;^[b] ⁶it ^(K)does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but ^(L)rejoices with the truth. ⁷^(M)Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, ^(N)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 ^(O)we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but ^(P)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 ^(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.

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

Footnotes

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

Cross references

1 Corinthians 13:2 : [ch. 14:1, 39; Matt. 7:22]; See Acts 2:18
1 Corinthians 13:2 : Matt. 17:20; Mark 11:23; [Luke 17:6]
1 Corinthians 13:3 : [Matt. 6:2]
1 Corinthians 13:3 : Dan. 3:28
1 Corinthians 13:4 : [Prov. 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 4:8]
1 Corinthians 13:4 : [2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12]
1 Corinthians 13:4 : Acts 7:9
1 Corinthians 13:4 : See ch. 4:6
1 Corinthians 13:5 : See ch. 10:24
1 Corinthians 13:5 : [Rom. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19]
1 Corinthians 13:6 : [Rom. 1:32; 2 Thess. 2:12]
1 Corinthians 13:6 : [2 John 4; 3 John 3, 4]
1 Corinthians 13:7 : ch. 9:12
1 Corinthians 13:7 : [See ver. 4 above]; [Prov. 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 4:8]
1 Corinthians 13:9 : [ch. 8:2]
1 Corinthians 13:10 : [John 15:15]
1 Corinthians 13:12 : James 1:23; [Num. 12:8; Job 36:26; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:7]
1 Corinthians 13:12 : 1 John 3:2; See Matt. 5:8
1 Corinthians 13:12 : See ch. 8:3

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Close KJV

13Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Listen to 1 Corinthians 13

Close NIV

13If I speak in the tongues^[a]^(A) of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy^(B) and can fathom all mysteries^(C) and all knowledge,^(D) and if I have a faith^(E) that can move mountains,^(F) but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor^(G) and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b]^(H) but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient,^(I) love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.^(J) ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,^(K) it is not easily angered,^(L) it keeps no record of wrongs.^(M) ⁶Love does not delight in evil^(N) but rejoices with the truth.^(O) ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.^(P)

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,^(Q) they will cease; where there are tongues,^(R) they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part^(S) and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when completeness comes,^(T) what is in part disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood^(U) behind me. ¹²For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;^(V) then we shall see face to face.^(W) Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.^(X)

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.^(Y) But the greatest of these is love.^(Z)

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames

Cross references

1 Corinthians 13:1 : ver 8; S Mk 16:17
1 Corinthians 13:2 : ver 8; S Eph 4:11; S Ac 11:27
1 Corinthians 13:2 : 1Co 14:2
1 Corinthians 13:2 : S 2Co 8:7
1 Corinthians 13:2 : 1Co 12:9
1 Corinthians 13:2 : Mt 17:20; 21:21
1 Corinthians 13:3 : Lk 19:8; S Ac 2:45
1 Corinthians 13:3 : Da 3:28
1 Corinthians 13:4 : 1Th 5:14
1 Corinthians 13:4 : 1Co 5:2
1 Corinthians 13:5 : S 1Co 10:24
1 Corinthians 13:5 : S Mt 5:22
1 Corinthians 13:5 : Job 14:16, 17; Pr 10:12; 17:9; 1Pe 4:8
1 Corinthians 13:6 : 2Th 2:12
1 Corinthians 13:6 : 2Jn 4; 3Jn 3, 4
1 Corinthians 13:7 : ver 8, 13
1 Corinthians 13:8 : ver 2
1 Corinthians 13:8 : ver 1
1 Corinthians 13:9 : ver 12; S 1Co 8:2
1 Corinthians 13:10 : Php 3:12
1 Corinthians 13:11 : Ps 131:2
1 Corinthians 13:12 : Job 26:14; 36:26
1 Corinthians 13:12 : Ge 32:30; Job 19:26; 1Jn 3:2
1 Corinthians 13:12 : 1Co 8:3; Gal 4:9
1 Corinthians 13:13 : Ro 5:2-5; Gal 5:5, 6; Eph 4:2-5; Col 1:4, 5; 1Th 1:3; 5:8; Heb 6:10-12
1 Corinthians 13:13 : Mt 22:37-40; 1Co 16:14; Gal 5:6; 1Jn 4:7-12, 16

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1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) (2024)

The Way of Love

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