"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
— 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is the middle of the love chapter: four verses that say what love does and what it refuses. People who type the reference want those lines, not only a longer essay. This page is the passage, a plain reading, and where each clause goes deeper on this site. The meaning study of the same block is What 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 means. The longer deep dive is Bible verses about love: 1 Corinthians 13. The whole chapter is 1 Corinthians 13.
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The verses
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV) reads:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Paul wrote this to a church that was ranking gifts and status. The first audience was not a wedding. Couples still read it because a household needs the same treatment.
What the block is saying
Verses 4 and 5 name love by verbs and refusals: patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not dishonoring, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeping no record of wrongs. Verse 6 sets love against delighting in evil and with rejoicing in the truth. Verse 7 stacks four "always" claims: protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres.
The opening clause people search alone is Love is patient Bible verse. The line about not scoring old hurts is Love keeps no record of wrongs. Verse 7 on its own is 1 Corinthians 13:7. The claim that follows in verse 8 is Love never fails Bible verse.
How people use 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Weddings print the block because marriage needs love that treats people this way. Churches read it when a congregation is tempted to rank gifts the way Corinth did. Wedding Bible readings and Wedding Bible verses collect ceremony uses. Love and marriage sets the same love inside the covenant.
Questions people ask
What does 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 say?
It says love is patient and kind; it refuses envy, boasting, pride, dishonor, self-seeking, quick anger, and a scorecard of wrongs; it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth; and it always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.
What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7?
Paul is describing how love treats people in a divided church. The meaning study that stays with that reading is What 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 means. This page is the passage itself for people who searched the verse numbers.
Is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 only a wedding reading?
No. Paul wrote it to believers arguing over status. Weddings quote it because a marriage needs that love, but the first setting was the church.
How does this relate to "love is patient"?
"Love is patient" is the first clause of verse 4. The vernacular page is Love is patient Bible verse. Verses 4 through 7 are the fuller list that clause opens.
Where should I read next?
For the meaning study, read What 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 means. For the deep dive, read Bible verses about love: 1 Corinthians 13. For the chapter, read 1 Corinthians 13. For the no-record-of-wrongs line, read Love keeps no record of wrongs.
