1 Corinthians 13
The full text of 1 Corinthians 13 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 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 do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
11 When 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 childish ways behind me.
12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Translation notes (6)
- 1 Corinthians 13:1a The Greek word agapē refers to self-giving love.
- 1 Corinthians 13:3a There is a famous difference among the ancient manuscripts here: some read "that I may boast" (which is followed in this translation, with strong early support), while others read "that I may be burned." The two Greek words differ by only a single letter.
- 1 Corinthians 13:5a The Greek phrase ou logizetai to kakon literally means "does not reckon up the wrong," which is an accounting image suggesting that it keeps no ledger of evil.
- 1 Corinthians 13:7a The Greek phrase panta stegei can mean "bears all things," "covers/protects all things," or "endures all things"; English Bible versions vary in their translation.
- 1 Corinthians 13:10a The Greek phrase to teleion means "the complete/perfect/mature," but its exact reference (whether it refers to the return of Christ, full maturity, or the heavenly state) is debated.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12a The Greek phrase di esoptrou en ainigmati means "through a mirror, in an enigma/riddle." Since ancient mirrors gave an imperfect image, the phrase suggests an indirect and puzzling sight.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible AI — rendered from the original Greek and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including 1 Corinthians, are free to read on this site.
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