Love
1 What if I could speak
all languages of humans
and even of angels?
If I did not love others,
I would be nothing more
than a noisy gong
or a clanging cymbal.
2 What if I could prophesy
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge?
And what if I had faith
that moved mountains?
I would be nothing,
unless I loved others.
3 What if I gave away all
that I owned
and let myself
be burned alive?
I would gain nothing,
unless I loved others.
4 Love is patient and kind,
never jealous, boastful,
proud, or 5 rude.
Love isn't selfish
or quick tempered.
It doesn't keep a record
of wrongs that others do.
6 Love rejoices in the truth,
but not in evil.
7 Love is always supportive,
loyal, hopeful,
and trusting.
8 Love never fails!
Everyone who prophesies
will stop,
and unknown languages
will no longer
be spoken.
All that we know
will be forgotten.
9 We don't know everything,
and our prophecies
are not complete.
10 But what is perfect
will someday appear,
and what isn't perfect
will then disappear.
11 When we were children,
we thought and reasoned
as children do.
But when we grew up,
we quit our childish ways.
12 Now all we can see of God
is like a cloudy picture
in a mirror.
Later we will see him
face to face.
We don't know everything,
but then we will,
just as God completely
understands us.
13 For now there are faith,
hope, and love.
But of these three,
the greatest is love.
ǀNammi
1 Khoen tsî ǀhomǃgāgu di gowaga ta ga ǃhoa, xawe ta ga ǀnamma ūhâ tama io, o ta ge ǀō ra ǀurise tamas ka io ǂnauhe ra simbalse ī. 2 Kēbo ǁkhā ta ka tsî ǂganǃgâsigu hoaga ta ga ǂan, hoa ǂans hoasa ta ga ūhâ tsî ǂgoms ǃhomga ta a gongonū ǁkhās hoasa, xawe ta ga ǀnamma ūhâ tama i, o ta ge xū tama hâ. 3 Ū ta hân hoana ǀgâsana mā tsî ta ga ti sorosa ǂhubihes nîse māǁnâ, xawe ta ga ǀnamma ūhâ tama i, o i ge tita xū-e harebeba tama hâ.
4 ǀNammi ge ǃnūǃnâxa tsî a ǃgâi, ǀnammi ge suri tama hâ, ǀnammi ge koasen tama tsî ǀgapiǂâixa tama hâ. 5 ǁÎb ge ǁgauoǃnâse tanisen tama hâ, ǁîb di ǃgâi-eb ôabasen tama hâ, ǃhaeseb ǀarakaisen tama tsîb ǁîb ǃoagu ra dīhe tsū xūna ǃgôakhâi tama hâ. 6 ǂKhabab ǃnâb ǃgâiaǂgao tama, xaweb amab ǃnâ ra ǃgâiaǂgao. 7 ǀNammi ge hoana ra taniǀnam, hoana ra ǂgom, hoana ra ǃâubasen tsîb hoana ra taniǀnam.
8 ǀNammi ge tātsē ǀuni tideba, xawe kēbodi di mās kao, ǁîs ge nî kā, ǃkharaga gowaga ǃhoas di mās kao, ǁîs ge nî ǀam, ǂans di mās kao, ǁîs ge nî kā. 9 ǃKharese da ǂan tsî ǃkharese ra kēbo xui-ao, 10 xawe dīǀoaǀoasib ga hāo, os ge ǃkhareǃkharesa nî kā. 11 ǀGôa ta ge i, o ta ge ǀgôa-i khami gere ǃhoa, ǀgôa-i khami gere ǂâi, ǀgôa-i khami gere ǀgora; xawe kaiǀoa ta geo, o ta ge ǀgôasi xūna ge ǀû. 12 Mûsenǃnâxūs ǃnâ da ge noxopa ǀhoese ra mû, xawe ǁnā ǁaeb ai ǃgāsase nî mû. Nēsi ta ǃkharese a ǂan, xawe ta ge ǁnā ǁaeb ai ǀoasase nî ǂan, tita Elob xa a ǂanhes ǁkhās khami. 13 Xawe nēsi ra ǃgaun ge ǂgoms, ǃâubasens tsî ǀnammi tsîna; tsî nē ǃnonan ǃnâ a kaib ge ǀnamma.
