1 Corinthians 14
14
Spiritual gifts and church order
1Pursue love, and use your ambition to try to get spiritual gifts but especially so that you might prophesy. 2This is because those who speak in a tongue don’t speak to people but to God; no one understands it—they speak mysteries by the Spirit. 3Those who prophesy speak to people, building them up, and giving them encouragement and comfort. 4People who speak in a tongue build up themselves; those who prophesy build up the church. 5I wish that all of you spoke in tongues, but I’d rather you could prophesy. Those who prophesy are more important than those who speak in tongues, unless they are able to interpret them so that the church might be built up. 6After all, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation, some knowledge, a prophecy, or a teaching? 7Likewise, things that aren’t alive like a harp or a lyre can make a sound, but if there aren’t different notes in the sounds they make, how will the tune from the harp or the lyre be recognized? 8And if a trumpet call is unrecognizable, then who will prepare for battle? 9It’s the same way with you: If you don’t use language that is easy to understand when you speak in a tongue, then how will anyone understand what is said? 10It will be as if you are speaking into the air! There are probably many language families in the world, and none of them are without meaning. 11So if I don’t know the meaning of the language, then I will be like a foreigner to those who speak it, and they will be like foreigners to me. 12The same holds true for you: since you are ambitious for spiritual gifts, use your ambition to try to work toward being the best at building up the church.
13Therefore, those who speak in a tongue should pray to be able to interpret. 14If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind isn’t productive. 15What should I do? I’ll pray in the Spirit, but I’ll pray with my mind too; I’ll sing a psalm in the Spirit, but I’ll sing the psalm with my mind too. 16After all, if you praise God in the Spirit, how will the people who aren’t trained in that language say “Amen!” to your thanksgiving, when they don’t know what you are saying? 17You may offer a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I’d rather speak five words in my right mind than speak thousands of words in a tongue so that I can teach others.
20Brothers and sisters, don’t be like children in the way you think. Well, be babies when it comes to evil, but be adults in your thinking. 21In the Law it is written: “I will speak to this people with foreign languages and foreigners’ lips, but they will not even listen to me this way”,#14.21 Isa 28:11-12 says the Lord. 22So then, tongues are a sign for those who don’t believe, not for those who believe. But prophecy is a sign for believers, not for those who don’t believe. 23So suppose that the whole church is meeting and everyone is speaking in tongues. If people come in who are outsiders or unbelievers, won’t they say that you are out of your minds? 24But if everyone is prophesying when an unbeliever or outsider comes in, they are tested by all and called to account by all. 25The secrets of their hearts are brought to light. When that happens, they will fall on their faces and worship God, proclaiming out loud that truly God is among you!
26What is the outcome of this, brothers and sisters? When you meet together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All these things must be done to build up the church. 27If some speak in a tongue, then let two or at most three speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28However, if there is no interpreter, then they should keep quiet in the meeting. They should speak privately to themselves and to God. 29In the case of prophets, let two or three speak and have the rest evaluate what is said. 30And if some revelation comes to someone else who is sitting down, the first one should be quiet. 31You can all prophesy one at a time so that everyone can learn and be encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are under the control of the prophets. 33God isn’t a God of disorder but of peace. Like in all the churches of God’s people, 34the women should be quiet during the meeting. They are not allowed to talk. Instead, they need to get under control, just as the Law says. 35If they want to learn something, they should ask their husbands at home. It is disgraceful for a woman to talk during the meeting.
36Did the word of God originate with you? Has it come only to you? 37If anyone thinks that they are prophets or “spiritual people,” then let them recognize that what I’m writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38If someone doesn’t recognize this, they aren’t recognized. 39So then, brothers and sisters, use your ambition to try to get the gift of prophecy, but don’t prevent speaking in tongues. 40Everything should be done with dignity and in proper order.
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 14
14
Use Spiritual Gifts to Help the Church
1Love should be the goal of your life, but you should also want to have the gifts that come from the Spirit. And the gift you should want most is to be able to prophesy. 2I will explain why. Those who have the gift of speaking in a different language are not speaking to people. They are speaking to God. No one understands them—they are speaking secret things through the Spirit. 3But those who prophesy are speaking to people. They help people grow stronger in faith, and they give encouragement and comfort. 4Those who speak in a different language are helping only themselves. But those who prophesy are helping the whole church.
5I would like all of you to have the gift of speaking in different languages. But what I want more is for you to prophesy. Anyone who prophesies is more important than those who can only speak in different languages. However, if they can also interpret those languages, they are as important as the one who prophesies. If they can interpret, then the church can be helped by what they say.
6Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No, it will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching. 7This is true even with lifeless things that make sounds—like a flute or a harp. If the different musical notes are not made clear, you can’t understand what song is being played. Each note must be played clearly for you to be able to understand the tune. 8And in a war, if the trumpet does not sound clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting.
9It is the same with you. If you don’t speak clearly in a language people know, they cannot understand what you are saying. You will be talking to the air! 10It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning. 11But if I don’t understand the meaning of what someone is saying, it will just be strange sounds to me, and I will sound just as strange to them. 12That’s why you who want spiritual gifts so much should prefer those gifts that help the church grow stronger.
13So those who have the gift of speaking in a different language should pray that they can also interpret what they say. 14If I pray in a different language, my spirit is praying, but my mind does nothing. 15So what should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16You might be praising God with your spirit. But someone there without understanding cannot say “Amen” to your prayer of thanks, because they don’t know what you are saying. 17You may be thanking God in a good way, but others are not helped.
18I thank God that my gift of speaking in different kinds of languages is greater than any of yours. 19But in the church meetings I would rather speak five words that I understand than thousands of words in a different language. I would rather speak with my understanding, so that I can teach others.
20Brothers and sisters, don’t think like children. In evil things be like babies, but in your thinking you should be like full-grown adults. 21As the Scriptures#14:21 Scriptures Literally, “law,” which sometimes means the Old Testament. say,
“Using those who speak a different language
and using the lips of foreigners,
I will speak to these people.
But even then, they will not obey me.” Isaiah 28:11-12
This is what the Lord says.
22And from this we see that the use of different languages shows how God deals with those who don’t believe, not with those who believe. And prophecy shows how God works through those who believe, not through unbelievers. 23Suppose the whole church meets together and you all speak in different languages. If some people come in who are without understanding or don’t believe, they will say you are crazy. 24But suppose you are all prophesying and someone comes in who does not believe or who is without understanding. Their sin will be shown to them, and they will be judged by everything you say. 25The secret things in their heart will be made known. So they will bow down and worship God. They will say, “Without a doubt, God is here with you.”#14:25 See Isa. 45:14 and Zech. 8:23.
Your Meetings Should Be Helpful to All
26So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a song, another has a teaching, and another has a new truth from God. One person speaks in a different language, and another interprets that language. The purpose of whatever you do should be to help everyone grow stronger in faith. 27When you meet together, if anyone speaks to the group in a different language, it should be only two or no more than three people who do this. And they should speak one after the other. And someone else should interpret what they say. 28But if there is no interpreter, then anyone who speaks in a different language should be quiet in the church meeting. They should speak only to themselves and to God.
29And only two or three prophets should speak. The others should judge what they say. 30And if a message from God comes to someone who is sitting, the first speaker should be quiet. 31You can all prophesy one after the other. This way everyone can be taught and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are under the control of the prophets themselves. 33God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace. This is the rule for all the meetings of God’s people.
34The women should keep quiet in these church meetings. They are not allowed to speak out but should be under authority, as the Law of Moses says. 35If there is something they want to know, they should ask their own husbands at home. It is shameful for a woman to speak up like that in the church meeting.
36God’s teaching did not come from you, and you are not the only ones who have received it. 37If you think you are a prophet or that you have a spiritual gift, you should understand that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38If you do not accept this, you will not be accepted.
39So my brothers and sisters, continue to give your attention to prophesying. And don’t stop anyone from using the gift of speaking in different languages. 40But everything should be done in a way that is right and orderly.
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