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Imagine that I could speak many human and angelic languages, but I did not love others. I would be {able to make much noise,} like a loud metal instrument{, but I would not be helping anyone}. 2 Again, imagine that I could proclaim what God says, that I could comprehend and know everything, and that I believed so much that I could make mountains change places. But imagine further that I did not love others. Because of that, nothing else matters. 3 Yet again, imagine that I gifted everything I owned {to people who needed food}, and that I did not protect my own body, with the result that people would honor me. But imagine further that I did not love others. {Because I did not love others}, none of those things that I did help me at all.4 Those who love others wait patiently and act graciously. They do not wish that others would lose the good things that they have. They do not say great things about themselves or act like they are great. 5 They do not do shameful things. They do not care only about themselves. They do not quickly become angry. They do not keep track of what others have done wrong. 6 They do not celebrate when people do bad things. Instead, they celebrate what is true. 7 They always put up with {others}. They always believe {that God will do what is best}, and they are always confident {that God will do what he has promised}. They always persevere {when bad things happen}.
8 Those who love others never cease doing so. However, someday people will no longer proclaim what God says. Someday, people will stop speaking unknown languages. Someday, people will no longer know special things. 9 {These things will no longer happen,} because we know special things incompletely, and we proclaim what God says incompletely. 10 So, when we experience what is complete {when Jesus comes back}, what is incomplete will no longer matter. 11 {Here is an analogy:} when we were young, we talked as children talk. We thought as children think. We made decisions as children make decisions. But when we grew up, we stopped acting as children do. 12 Right now, we see {God} indirectly, as if we saw a reflection in a mirror. When {Jesus comes back}, however, {we will see God} in person. Right now, we know {God} incompletely. When {Jesus comes back}, however, we will know God just as much as he knows us. 13 In the end, there are three things that we will always keep doing. We will believe {in the Messiah}, confidently expect {God to do what he has promised}, and love {God and other people}. However, loving {God and others} is the most important out of these three things.