1 Corinthians 12–13

¹And concerning the spiritual things, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant; ²ye have known that ye were nations, unto the dumb idols—as ye were led—being carried away; ³wherefore, I give you to understand that no one, in the Spirit of God speaking, saith Jesus is anathema, and no one is able to say Jesus is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit. ⁴And there are diversities of gifts, and the same Spirit; ⁵and there are diversities of ministrations, and the same Lord; ⁶and there are diversities of workings, and it is the same God—who is working the all in all. ⁷And to each hath been given the manifestation of the Spirit for profit; ⁸for to one through the Spirit hath been given a word of wisdom, and to another a word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; ⁹and to another faith in the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings in the same Spirit; ¹⁰and to another in-workings of mighty deeds; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits; and to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another interpretation of tongues: ¹¹and all these doth work the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each severally as he intendeth.

¹²For, even as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ, ¹³for also in one Spirit we all to one body were baptized, whether Jews or Greeks, whether servants or freemen, and all into one Spirit were made to drink, ¹⁴for also the body is not one member, but many; ¹⁵if the foot may say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body;’ it is not, because of this, not of the body; ¹⁶and if the ear may say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body;’ it is not, because of this, not of the body? ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where the hearing? if the whole hearing, where the smelling? ¹⁸and now, God did set the members each one of them in the body, according as He willed, ¹⁹and if all were one member, where the body? ²⁰and now, indeed, are many members, and one body; ²¹and an eye is not able to say to the hand, ‘I have no need of thee;’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ ²²But much more the members of the body which seem to be more infirm are necessary, ²³and those that we think to be less honourable of the body, around these we put more abundant honour, and our unseemly things have seemliness more abundant, ²⁴and our seemly things have no need; but God did temper the body together, to the lacking part having given more abundant honour, ²⁵that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same anxiety for one another, ²⁶and whether one member doth suffer, suffer with it do all the members, or one member is glorified, rejoice with it do all the members.

²⁷And ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. ²⁸And some, indeed, did God set in the assembly, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, afterwards powers, afterwards gifts of healings, helpings, governings, divers kinds of tongues; ²⁹are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all powers? ³⁰have all gifts of healings? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? ³¹and desire earnestly the better gifts; and yet a far excelling way do I shew to you:

Chapter 13

¹If with the tongues of men and of messengers I speak, and have not love, I have become brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling; ²and if I have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if I have all the faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing; ³and if I give away to feed others all my goods, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and have not love, I am profited nothing.

⁴The love is long-suffering, it is kind, the love doth not envy, the love doth not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, ⁵doth not act unseemly, doth not seek its own things, is not provoked, doth not impute evil, ⁶rejoiceth not over the unrighteousness, and rejoiceth with the truth; ⁷all things it beareth, all it believeth, all it hopeth, all it endureth.

⁸The love doth never fail; and whether there be prophecies, they shall become useless; whether tongues, they shall cease; whether knowledge, it shall become useless; ⁹for in part we know, and in part we prophecy; ¹⁰and when that which is perfect may come, then that which is in part shall become useless. ¹¹When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning, and when I have become a man, I have made useless the things of the babe; ¹²for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known; ¹³and now there doth remain faith, hope, love—these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Chapter 14