1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I havea[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,bMatt. 17:20; Mark 11:23; [Luke 17:6] so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 c[Matt. 6:2] If I give away all I have, anddDan. 3:28 if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 e[Prov. 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 4:8] Love is patient andf[2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12] kind; lovegActs 7:9 does not envy or boast; ithSee ch. 4:6 is not arrogant 5 or rude. ItiSee ch. 10:24 does not insist on its own way; itj[Rom. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19] is not irritable or resentful; 6 itk[Rom. 1:32; 2 Thess. 2:12] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, butl[2 John 4; 3 John 3, 4] rejoices with the truth. 7 mch. 9:12 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,e[See ver. 4 above] endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 Forn[ch. 8:2] we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 buto[John 15:15] when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When 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. 12 ForpJames 1:23; [Num. 12:8; Job 36:26; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:7] now we see in a mirror dimly, butq1 John 3:2; See Matt. 5:8 then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even asrSee ch. 8:3 I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.