Desire Spiritual Gifts

14 ·You should seek after [Pursue; Make your aim] love, and ·you should truly want to have [eagerly desire; be zealous for] the spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. ² ·I will explain why. [^LFor] Those who ·have the gift of speaking in different languages [or speak with ecstatic utterance; ^Lspeak in a tongue; 12:10, 29, 30; 13:1] are not speaking to people; they are speaking to God. No one understands them; they are speaking ·secret things [mysteries] ·through [by; in; with] the Spirit. ³ But those who prophesy are speaking to people ·to give them strength [for edification/upbuilding], encouragement, and ·comfort [consolation]. ⁴ The ones who speak in different languages are ·helping [edifying; building up] only themselves, but those who prophesy are ·helping [edifying; building up] the whole church. ⁵ I wish all of you ·had the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages [^Lspoke in tongues; v. 2], but more, I wish you would prophesy. Those who prophesy are greater than those who ·can only speak in different languages [^Lspeak in tongues; v. 2]—unless someone ·is there who can explain what is said [^Linterprets (the tongues)] so that the whole church can be ·helped [edified; built up].

⁶ Brothers and sisters, how will it help you if I come to you speaking in ·different languages [^Ltongues; v. 2], unless I bring you a ·new truth [revelation] or ·some new knowledge [^Lknowledge], or prophecy, or teaching? ⁷ It is the same as with lifeless things that make sounds—like a flute or a harp. If they do not make ·clear [distinct] musical notes, ·you will not [^Lhow will you…?] know what is being played. ⁸ And in a war, if the trumpet does not give a clear sound, who will prepare for battle? ⁹ It is the same with you. Unless you speak ·clearly [intelligible words] with your tongue, ·no one can [^Lhow will anyone…?] understand what you are saying. You will be talking into the air! ¹⁰ It may be true that there are all kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning. ¹¹ But unless I understand the meaning of what someone says to me, we will be like ·foreigners [barbarians] to each other. ¹² It is the same with you. Since you ·eagerly desire [are zealous for] ·spiritual gifts [or manifestations of the Spirit], seek ·most of all to have [to excel in] the gifts that ·help the church grow stronger [build up/edify the church].

¹³ [^LTherefore] The one who has the gift of ·speaking in a different language [or ecstatic utterance; ^Ltongues] should pray for the gift to interpret what is spoken. ¹⁴ If I pray ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Lin a tongue], my spirit is praying, but my mind ·does nothing [^Lis unfruitful]. ¹⁵ So what should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will ·sing [sing praises/psalms] with my spirit, but I will also ·sing [sing praises/psalms] with my mind. ¹⁶ [^LOtherwise] If you ·praise God [or pronounce a blessing] with your spirit, those persons there ·without understanding [or without the gift; or who are inquirers/seekers; vv. 23, 24] cannot say “Amen” [^Cfrom a Hebrew term meaning “it is true”; 1 Chr. 16:36] to your prayer of thanks, because they do not know what you are saying. ¹⁷ You may be thanking God ·in a good way [well enough], but the other person is not ·helped [edified; built up].

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak ·in different kinds of languages [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Lin tongues] more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church meetings I would rather speak five words ·I understand [^Lwith my mind] in order to teach others than thousands of words ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Lin a tongue].

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, do not think like children. In evil things be like ·babies [infants], but in your thinking you should be ·like adults [mature; grown-up]. ²¹ It is written in the ·Scriptures [^LLaw; ^Creferring here to all of Scripture]:

says the Lord. [^CIsrael didn’t listen when God used foreign-speaking Assyrians to punish them; similarly people won’t benefit from hearing tongues they don’t understand.]

²² So ·the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages [or ecstatic utterance; ^Ltongues] is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers [^Ctongues served as a warning of judgment and a call to repentance; see Acts 2:4, 21, 38–40]. And prophecy is for believers, not for unbelievers. ²³ Suppose the whole church meets together and everyone speaks in ·different languages [^Ltongues]. If some people come in who ·do not understand [or are inquirers/seekers; v. 16] or are unbelievers, they will say you are ·crazy [insane; ^Cunintelligible tongues sound like babbling]. ²⁴ But suppose everyone is prophesying and unbelievers or ·those who does not understand [or inquirers/seekers] come in. If everyone is prophesying, ·their sin will be shown to them [^Lthey will be convicted by all], and they will be judged by ·all that they hear [^Lall]. ²⁵ The secret things in their hearts will be made known. So they will ·bow down [^Lfall face down] and worship God saying, “Truly, God is ·with you [among you; in your midst].” [^CThough prophecy is for believers (v. 22), it also convicts unbelievers better than uninterpreted (and so incoherent) tongues (see vv. 27–28), since it is a coherent message from God.]

Meetings Should Help the Church

²⁶ So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a ·song [psalm; hymn], and another has a teaching. Another has a ·new truth from God [^Lrevelation]. Another speaks ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Ltongue], and another person ·interprets that language [^Lan interpretation]. The purpose of all these things should be ·to help the church grow strong [^Lfor edification/building up]. ²⁷ When you meet together, if anyone speaks ·in a different language [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Lin a tongue], it should be only two, or not more than three, who speak. They should speak one after the other, and someone should interpret. ²⁸ But if there is no interpreter, then they should ·be quiet [remain silent] in the church meeting. They should speak only to themselves and to God.

²⁹ Only two or three prophets should speak, and the others should ·judge [evaluate; consider; weigh] what they say. ³⁰ If a ·message from God [^Lrevelation] comes to another person who is sitting, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ [^LFor] You can all prophesy one after the other. In this way all the people can be taught and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are ·under the control of [subject to] the prophets themselves [^Cunlike in pagan religions, where a spirit would seize control of a speaker, causing frenzy, mania or ecstasy]. ³³ [^LFor] God is not a God of ·confusion [disorder] but a God of peace.

As is true in all the ·churches [assemblies] of ·God’s people [^Tthe saints; ^Csome commentators take this clause as part of the previous sentence], ³⁴ ·women [or wives] should keep quiet in the ·church meetings [churches; assemblies; ^Cthe context here may be the evaluation of prophecy (v. 29), rather than general worship (where women presumably could speak; see 11:2–16)]. [^LFor] They are not allowed to speak, but they must ·yield to this rule [or be in submission; or keep their ordered place] as the law says [^Cperhaps Gen. 3:16, or a nonbiblical Jewish tradition]. ³⁵ If they want to ·learn something [or ask questions], they should ask their own husbands at home. It is ·shameful [disgraceful; improper] for a woman to speak in ·the church meeting [the assembly; church]. ³⁶ Did ·God’s teaching [the word of God] ·come from [originate with] you? Or are you the only ones to whom it has come? [^CApparently, some women were being disruptive during meetings.]

³⁷ Those who think they are prophets or spiritual persons should ·understand [or acknowledge] that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ Those who ignore this will ·be ignored by God [or themselves be ignored].^[a]

³⁹ So my brothers and sisters, you should ·truly want [be eager] to prophesy. And do not ·stop people from using the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages [^Lforbid/hinder speaking in tongues]. ⁴⁰ But let everything be done in a ·right [proper; fitting] and orderly way.