12Now concerning spiritual gifts,^a brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the speechless idols, however you were led. ³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed,” and no one is able to say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, ⁵and there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord, ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but the same God, who works all things in all people. ⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is beneficial to all. ⁸For to one is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another^b gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another^c miraculous powers^d, to another^e prophecy, to another^f distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another^g interpretation of tongues. ¹¹But in all these things one and the same Spirit is at work, distributing to each one individually just as he wishes.

Unity in the Midst of Diversity

¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, although they^* are many, are one body, thus also Christ. ¹³For by^h one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit. ¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he wanted. ¹⁹And if they all were one member, where would the body be? ²⁰But now there are many members, but one body.

²¹Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, “I do not have need of you,” or again, the head to the feet, “I do not have need of you.” ²²But by much more the members of the body which are thought to be weaker are necessary, ²³and the parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant presentability, ²⁴but our presentable parts do not have need of this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor to the part which lacked it, ²⁵in order that there not be a division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for one another. ²⁶And if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if a memberⁱ is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and members of it individually^j, ²⁸and whom God has appointed in the church: first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues. ²⁹Not all are apostles, are they?^* Not all are prophets, are they?^* Not all are teachers, are they?^* Not all are workers of miracles, are they?^* ³⁰Not all have gifts of healing, do they?^* Not all speak with tongues, do they?^* Not all interpret, do they?^* ³¹But strive^k for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Love, the More Excellent Way

13If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a ringing brass gong or a clashing cymbal. ²And if I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned,^a but do not have love, it benefits me nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, ⁵it does not behave dishonorably, it is not selfish^b, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, ⁶it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but whenever 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 set aside the things of a child. ¹²For now we see through a mirror indirectly^c, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know completely, just as I have also been completely known. ¹³And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Read in Logos

Footnotes

aOr “spiritual things”; possibly “those who possess spiritual gifts”
bSome manuscripts have “and to another”
cSome manuscripts have “and to another”
dLiterally “activities of power”
eSome manuscripts have “and to another”
fSome manuscripts have “and to another”
gSome manuscripts have “and to another”
*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“are”) which is understood as concessive
hOr “in”
iSome manuscripts have “one member”
jLiterally “by part”
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
*The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here
kOr “you are striving” (some understand the form of this verb to be indicative mood rather than imperative mood)
aSome manuscripts have “in order that I may boast”
bLiterally “does not seek the things of itself”
cLiterally “in an indirect image”