1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) (2025)

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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. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:5 Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing

Cross references

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : [ch. 14:1, 39; Matt. 7:22]; See Acts 2:18
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : Matt. 17:20; Mark 11:23; [Luke 17:6]
  3. 1 Corinthians 13:3 : [Matt. 6:2]
  4. 1 Corinthians 13:3 : Dan. 3:28
  5. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : [Prov. 10:12; 17:9; 1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 4:8]
  6. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : [2 Cor. 6:6; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12]
  7. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : Acts 7:9
  8. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : See ch. 4:6
  9. 1 Corinthians 13:5 : See ch. 10:24
  10. 1 Corinthians 13:5 : [Rom. 4:6; 2 Cor. 5:19]
  11. 1 Corinthians 13:6 : [Rom. 1:32; 2 Thess. 2:12]
  12. 1 Corinthians 13:6 : [2 John 4; 3 John 3, 4]
  13. 1 Corinthians 13:7 : ch. 9:12
  14. 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]
  15. 1 Corinthians 13:9 : [ch. 8:2]
  16. 1 Corinthians 13:10 : [John 15:15]
  17. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : James 1:23; [Num. 12:8; Job 36:26; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:7]
  18. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : 1 John 3:2; See Matt. 5:8
  19. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : See ch. 8:3
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The Gift of Love

13If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.(A) 3If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast[a] but do not have love, I gain nothing.(B)

4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant(C) 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs;(D) 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.(E) 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.(F)

8Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, 10but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.(G) 13And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.

Footnotes

  1. 13.3 Other ancient authorities read body to be burned

Cross references

  1. 13.2 : Mt 7.22; 17.20; 21.21; Acts 13.1; 1 Cor 12.9; 14.1
  2. 13.3 : Mt 6.2
  3. 13.4 : Prov 10.12; 1 Pet 4.8
  4. 13.5 : 1 Cor 10.24; 2 Cor 5.19
  5. 13.6 : 2 Jn 4
  6. 13.7 : Rom 15.1; 1 Cor 9.12
  7. 13.12 : 1 Cor 8.3; 2 Cor 5.7; Phil 3.12; 1 Jn 3.2
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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.

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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. 1 Corinthians 13:1 Or languages
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames

Cross references

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:1 : ver 8; S Mk 16:17
  2. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : ver 8; S Eph 4:11; S Ac 11:27
  3. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : 1Co 14:2
  4. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : S 2Co 8:7
  5. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : 1Co 12:9
  6. 1 Corinthians 13:2 : Mt 17:20; 21:21
  7. 1 Corinthians 13:3 : Lk 19:8; S Ac 2:45
  8. 1 Corinthians 13:3 : Da 3:28
  9. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : 1Th 5:14
  10. 1 Corinthians 13:4 : 1Co 5:2
  11. 1 Corinthians 13:5 : S 1Co 10:24
  12. 1 Corinthians 13:5 : S Mt 5:22
  13. 1 Corinthians 13:5 : Job 14:16, 17; Pr 10:12; 17:9; 1Pe 4:8
  14. 1 Corinthians 13:6 : 2Th 2:12
  15. 1 Corinthians 13:6 : 2Jn 4; 3Jn 3, 4
  16. 1 Corinthians 13:7 : ver 8, 13
  17. 1 Corinthians 13:8 : ver 2
  18. 1 Corinthians 13:8 : ver 1
  19. 1 Corinthians 13:9 : ver 12; S 1Co 8:2
  20. 1 Corinthians 13:10 : Php 3:12
  21. 1 Corinthians 13:11 : Ps 131:2
  22. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : Job 26:14; 36:26
  23. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : Ge 32:30; Job 19:26; 1Jn 3:2
  24. 1 Corinthians 13:12 : 1Co 8:3; Gal 4:9
  25. 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
  26. 1 Corinthians 13:13 : Mt 22:37-40; 1Co 16:14; Gal 5:6; 1Jn 4:7-12, 16
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English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) (1)

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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rightsreserved worldwide.

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1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) (2025)

FAQs

What is the way of love in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13? ›

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

What is the main point of 1 Corinthians 13? ›

Paul sums it up: Love never fails. Christians may fail to love, as the Corinthians have clearly demonstrated, but God's kind of love will always be effective. And unlike spiritual gifts, which will no longer be needed when Christ comes, love will last forever (1 Corinthians 13:4–8).

What is the text of 1 Corinthians 13? ›

Bible Gateway 1 Corinthians 13 :: NIV. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

What is the title of 1 Corinthians 13? ›

1 Corinthians 13 – Agape Love.

What is the only thing that counts is faith through love? ›

Galatians 5:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Why is love the greatest in 1 Corinthians 13? ›

"Faith, Hope, and Love" - Why Is Love the Greatest in 1 Corinthians 13? Love is the greatest because God showed us, through His Son Jesus Christ, how great His love is for us. Therefore, through that expression from God, we know that love is the greatest. Love is everlasting and never-ending.

What can we learn from Corinthians 13? ›

1 Corinthians 13 Summary: Love Is Patient

The lesson in the Bible verse "Love is patient" is that if we did truly love our neighbor, we should be able to exercise patience toward all of our neighbors, just like Jesus did.

Is 1 Corinthians 13 about marriage? ›

If marriage is ideally a lifelong commitment in which both parties pledge themselves to one another, with the goal of loving the other person more than oneself, then the words of 1Cor 13 —to be patient and kind, to persevere, to keep no record of wrongs, and to seek not one's own benefit—provide a poignant “how-to” for ...

What part of the Bible says love never fails? ›

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

Is 1 Corinthians 13 talking about God? ›

After noting that God gives different spiritual gifts to everyone so that the Body of Christ be glorified, he begins chapter 13 by stating that even if he has the greatest of spiritual gifts, but he does not have love, he is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1–3) for love is the greatest gift of all.

Why is love so important to God? ›

Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.

What is the prayer for 1 Corinthians 13? ›

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Dear Father, give me love! May I one day possess fully all the qualities of love, as did your son, Jesus, the Messiah! May I be patient and kind, not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude, not insisting on my own way, not ever irritable or resentful.

What kind of love is the Bible referring to in 1 Corinthians 13? ›

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

What does Corinthians 13 4 teach us about perfect love? ›

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is kind. So Paul is taking the first point, patience and adding to it: The perfect love not only does not retaliate, it finds a way to extend kindness instead of vengeance.

How to love according to Scripture? ›

Here are ten ways to love others and shine God's light.
  1. Give Without Expecting Anything In Return. We should give freely, without expecting anything in return. ...
  2. Trust Without Wavering. ...
  3. Forgive Without Punishing. ...
  4. Listen Without Interrupting. ...
  5. Enjoy Without Complaint. ...
  6. Answer Without Arguing. ...
  7. Keep Promises. ...
  8. Speak Without Accusing.
Oct 11, 2019

Where in the Bible does it say follow the way of love? ›

Bible Gateway 1 Corinthians 14 :: NIV. Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.

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