Wedding reading
1 Corinthians 13:1–13
King James Bible
“1 Corinthians 13:1–13” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about two minutes read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
Chapter 13 sits inside a longer argument in Paul’s letter about the gifts the Corinthian church was quarreling over, and the full text of 1 Corinthians shows the chapter on either side of it.
What it says
The full chapter starts somewhere unexpected: eloquence, prophecy, knowledge, faith strong enough to move mountains and even giving everything away count for nothing without love. Only then comes the familiar list of what love is and is not. The ending moves past the wedding entirely, to the idea that everything we know now is partial, like a reflection in a dim mirror, and that faith, hope and love are what remain, with love the greatest of the three.
The whole chapter, including "through a glass, darkly". Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: love · faith · hope · growing up · seeing clearly · the whole chapter.
Who it suits
Couples who love the famous middle verses but want the version with its argument intact, and traditional church services where a reading of two minutes is normal. It suits a couple who met through work they care about, music, or study, because the opening is about how talent and conviction are empty without love. It is too long for a short civil ceremony.
Where it goes in the ceremony
Place it as the main reading, after the welcome and before the address or homily. Because it runs twice the length of the short form, one reader is better than splitting it; the change of subject at the dim mirror is easier to carry in a single voice.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 270 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about two minutes of reading.
- There are three movements: what is worthless without love, what love does, and what lasts. Leave a clear pause at each turn so the room hears the shape.
- The opening “though I” clauses build. Keep the pitch level through them rather than climbing, and save the emphasis for “and have not charity”.
- Practice the “glass, darkly” verse aloud. It is the one line people stumble on, and it should sound settled rather than puzzled.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “1 Corinthians 13:1–13” take to read aloud?
“1 Corinthians 13:1–13” takes about two minutes read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “1 Corinthians 13:1–13”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “1 Corinthians 13:1–13” runs about two minutes, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “1 Corinthians 13:1–13” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a45 secondsThe short form, verses 4 to 8, at under a minute
- Romans 12:9–18a minute and a halfPaul’s other list of what love looks like day to day
- Ephesians 3:14–1950 secondsA prayer for love that passes knowledge
- Jeremiah 29:1115 secondsKing James Bible
- Genesis 2:18–24a minute and a halfKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible