The Way of Love
1 If I zspeak 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 have aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all bknowledge, and if I have all cfaith, dso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I egive away all I have, and if I deliver up my body fto be burned,1 but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is gpatient and hkind; love idoes not envy or boast; it is not jarrogant 5 or rude. kIt does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;2 6 it does not lrejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, 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 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but 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 mgave up childish ways. 12 For now we nsee in a mirror dimly, but then oface to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as pI have been fully known.
13 qSo now rfaith, hope, and love abide, these three; but sthe greatest of these is love.
Prophecy and Tongues
1 Pursue love, and tearnestly desire the uspiritual gifts, especially that you may vprophesy. 2 For one who wspeaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters xmysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their yupbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, zbut even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone ainterprets, so that the church may be built up.
6 Now, brothers,3 if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some brevelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider4 say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, cdo not be dchildren in your thinking. eBe infants in evil, but in your thinking be fmature. 21 In the Law it is written, g“By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign5 not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, hwill they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are idisclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and jdeclare that God is really among you.
Orderly Worship
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others kweigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of lconfusion but of mpeace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 34 nthe women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or ospiritual, he should acknowledge that pthe things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, qearnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But rall things should be done decently and sin order.
He Heals the Brokenhearted
1 Praise the Lord!
hFor it is good to sing praises to our God;
ifor it is pleasant,1 and a song of jpraise is fitting.
2 kThe Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he lgathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He mheals the nbrokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 oHe determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is pbeyond measure.
6 qThe Lord lifts up the humble;2
he rcasts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
smake melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
the prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 uHe gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord vtakes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who whope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives xsnow like wool;
he scatters yfrost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of zice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
ahe makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 bHe declares his word to Jacob,
his cstatutes and rules3 to Israel.
20 dHe has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.4
Praise the Lord!
