1 Corinthians 12–13

CHAPTER 12

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

¹Now concerning ^aspiritual gifts, brothers, ^bI do not want you to be ignorant.

^2aYou know that when you were pagans, you were ^bbeing led astray to the ^cmute idols, however you were led.

³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking ^1aby the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is ^2baccursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is ^cLord,” except ^3dby the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are ^avarieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁵And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.

⁶And there are varieties of workings, but the same ^aGod who works everything in everyone.

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit ^afor what is profitable.

⁸For to one is given the word of ^awisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of ^bknowledge according to the same Spirit;

⁹to someone else ^afaith ¹by the same Spirit, and to another ^bgifts of ²healing ³by the one Spirit,

¹⁰and to another the workings of ^amiracles, and to another ^bprophecy, and to another the ^1cdistinguishing of spirits, to someone else various ^dkinds of tongues, and to another the ^2etranslation of tongues.

¹¹But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^adistributing to each one individually just as He wills.

¹²For even ^aas the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, ^bso also is Christ.

¹³For also ^1aby one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether ^bJews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to ^cdrink of one Spirit.

¹⁴For also ^athe body is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ¹any the less a part of the body.

¹⁶And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ¹any the less 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 ^aappointed the members, each one of them, in the body, ^bjust as He desired.

¹⁹And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰But now ^athere are many members, but one body.

²¹And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

²²On the contrary, how much more is it that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary,

²³and those members of the body which we think as less honorable, ¹on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,

²⁴whereas our more presentable members have no such need. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

²⁵so that there may be no ¹division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

²⁶And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is ¹honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are ^aChrist’s body, and ^bindividually members of it.

²⁸And God has ^1aappointed in ^bthe church, first ^capostles, second ^dprophets, third ^eteachers, then ^2fmiracles, then ^ggifts of healings, helps, ^hadministrations, various ⁱkinds of tongues.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of ¹miracles?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all ^1atranslate?

³¹But ¹you ^aearnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I will yet show you a more excellent way.

CHAPTER 13

The Excellence of Love

¹If I speak with the ^atongues of men and of ^bangels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ^cclanging cymbal.

²And if I have the gift of ^aprophecy, and know all ^bmysteries and all ^cknowledge; and if I have ^dall faith, so as to ^eremove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

³And if I ^agive all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I ^bsurrender my body ¹to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴Love ^ais patient, love is kind, ^bis not jealous, does not brag, is not ^cpuffed up;

⁵it does not act unbecomingly, ^adoes not seek its own, is not provoked, ^bdoes not take into account a wrong suffered;

^6ait does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^brejoices with the truth;

^71ait bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails, but if there are gifts of ^1aprophecy, they will be done away; if there are ^btongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

⁹For we ^aknow in part and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰but when the ¹perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I ¹became a man, I did away with childish things.

¹²For now we ^asee in a mirror ¹dimly, but then ^bface to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also ^chave been fully known.

¹³But now abide faith, hope, love—these three; but the ¹greatest of these is ^alove.