I like the New King James Version translation the best. It’s not the one people quote so much, but listen here:
“Love suffers long.”
Most versions tend to say “love is patient.” Aww, that sounds nice. But I like the honest, blunt reality of the NKJV translation. Because let’s face it - love is hard sometimes, and I’m not even talking about little middle school break-ups. I’m not even talking romance at all. Some people are hard to love all the time, but with every person, there’s at least some time where it’s hard to love them.
But love suffers long. So when the going gets tough, you keep pushing through. That translations just says so much more to me than simply “love is patient.” It really pushes through the reality of what Christian love is supposed to be like.
And I love thinking about this passage not just as the way I’m supposed to love, but as the way that Jesus loves me. And it’s pretty amazing that nothing can separate us from that kind of love (Romans 8:38-39) that’s described in I Corinthians 14.
I just got a new Bible because my old one was falling apart - the new one is ESV, which I like, but in this I Corinthians passage specifically, I’m seeing why I think NKJV will always be my favorite. Like I Corinthians 14:8, I love how NKJV says “Love never fails.” It’s just so powerful. Meanwhile, ESV says “Love never ends”, which is still so meaningful, of course, but I just love the weight of “never fails.”
Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts on that.
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