1 E agerly pursue and seek to acquire love; and earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy ( interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).

Pursue the love, and seek earnestly the spiritual things, and rather that ye may prophecy,

2 F or one who speaks in an tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things.

for he who is speaking in an tongue -- to men he doth not speak, but to God, for no one doth hearken, and in spirit he doth speak secrets;

3 B ut, the one who prophesies '> interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for their upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.

and he who is prophesying to men doth speak edification, and exhortation, and comfort;

4 H e who speaks in a tongue edifies and improves himself, but he who prophesies '> interpreting the divine will and purpose and teaching with inspiration] edifies and improves the church and promotes growth.

he who is speaking in an tongue, himself doth edify, and he who is prophesying, an assembly doth edify;

5 N ow I wish that you might all speak in tongues, but more especially to prophesy (to be inspired to preach and interpret the divine will and purpose). He who prophesies is greater (more useful and more important) than he who speaks in tongues, unless he should interpret, so that the church may be edified and receive good.

and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification.

6 N ow, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I make it to your advantage unless I speak to you either in revelation (disclosure of God’s will to man) in knowledge or in prophecy or in instruction?

And now, brethren, if I may come unto you speaking tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either in revelation, or in knowledge, or in prophesying, or in teaching?

7 I f even inanimate musical instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know or understand what is played?

yet the things without life giving sound -- whether pipe or harp -- if a difference in the sounds they may not give, how shall be known that which is piped or that which is harped?

8 A nd if the war bugle gives an uncertain (indistinct) call, who will prepare for battle?

for if also an uncertain sound a trumpet may give, who shall prepare himself for battle?

9 J ust so it is with you; if you in the tongue speak words that are not intelligible, how will anyone understand what you are saying? For you will be talking into empty space!

so also ye, if through the tongue, speech easily understood ye may not give -- how shall that which is spoken be known? for ye shall be speaking to air.

10 T here are, I suppose, all these many tongues in the world, and none is destitute of expression and meaning.

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning,

11 B ut if I do not know the force and significance of the speech (language), I shall seem to be a foreigner to the one who speaks, and the speaker who addresses will seem a foreigner to me.

if, then, I do not know the power of the voice, I shall be to him who is speaking a foreigner, and he who is speaking, is to me a foreigner;

12 S o it is with yourselves; since you are so eager and ambitious to possess spiritual endowments and manifestations of the Spirit, striving to excel and to abound in ways that will build up the church.

so also ye, since ye are earnestly desirous of spiritual gifts, for the building up of the assembly seek that ye may abound;

13 T herefore, the person who speaks in an tongue should pray to interpret and explain what he says.

wherefore he who is speaking in an tongue -- let him pray that he may interpret;

14 F or if I pray in an tongue, my spirit '> Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive.

for if I pray in an tongue, my spirit doth pray, and my understanding is unfruitful.

15 T hen what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit '> Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind and understanding also.

What then is it? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray also with the understanding; I will sing psalms with the spirit, and I will sing psalms also with the understanding;

16 O therwise, if you bless and render thanks with spirit '> thoroughly aroused by the Holy Spirit], how can anyone in the position of an outsider or he who is not gifted with tongues, say the Amen to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

since, if thou mayest bless with the spirit, he who is filling the place of the unlearned, how shall he say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, since what thou dost say he hath not known?

17 T o be sure, you may give thanks well (nobly), but the bystander is not edified.

for thou, indeed, dost give thanks well, but the other is not built up!

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues (languages) more than any of you or all of you put together;

I give thanks to my God -- more than you all with tongues speaking --

19 N evertheless, in public worship, I would rather say five words with my understanding and intelligently in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue (language).

but in an assembly I wish to speak five words through my understanding, that others also I may instruct, rather than myriads of words in an tongue.

20 B rethren, do not be children in your thinking; continue to be babes in evil, but in your minds be mature.

Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;

21 I t is written in the Law, By men of strange languages and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and not even then will they listen to Me, says the Lord.

in the law it hath been written, that, `With other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people, and not even so will they hear Me, saith the Lord;'

22 T hus tongues are meant for a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy (inspired preaching and teaching, interpreting the divine will and purpose) is not for unbelievers but for believers.

so that the tongues are for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelieving; and the prophesy not for the unbelieving, but for the believing,

23 T herefore, if the whole church assembles and all of you speak in tongues, and the ungifted and uninitiated or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are demented?

If, therefore, the whole assembly may come together, to the same place, and all may speak with tongues, and there may come in unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

24 B ut if all prophesy and an unbeliever or untaught outsider comes in, he is told of his sin and reproved and convicted and convinced by all, and his defects and needs are examined (estimated, determined) and he is called to account by all,

and if all may prophecy, and any one may come in, an unbeliever or unlearned, he is convicted by all, he is discerned by all,

25 T he secrets of his heart are laid bare; and so, falling on face, he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth.

and so the secrets of his heart become manifest, and so having fallen upon face, he will bow before God, declaring that God really is among you.

26 W hat then, brethren, is ? When you meet together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge or information, an utterance in a tongue, or an interpretation of it. let everything be constructive and edifying and for the good of all.

What then is it, brethren? whenever ye may come together, each of you hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? let all things be for building up;

27 I f some speak in a tongue, let the number be limited to two or at the most three, and each one turn, and let one interpret and explain.

if an tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret;

28 B ut if there is no one to do the interpreting, let each of them keep still in church and talk to himself and to God.

and if there may be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, and to himself let him speak, and to God.

29 S o let two or three prophets speak, while the rest pay attention and weigh and discern what is said.

And prophets -- let two or three speak, and let the others discern,

30 B ut if an inspired revelation comes to another who is sitting by, then let the first one be silent.

and if to another sitting may be revealed, let the first be silent;

31 F or in this way you can give testimony one by one, so that all may be instructed and all may be stimulated and encouraged;

for ye are able, one by one, all to prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted,

32 F or the spirits of the prophets (the speakers in tongues) are under the speaker’s control,

and the spiritual gift of prophets to prophets are subject,

33 F or He is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. As in all the churches of the saints (God’s people),

for God is not of tumult, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.

34 T he women should keep quiet in the churches, for they are not authorized to speak, but should take a secondary and subordinate place, just as the Law also says.

Your women in the assemblies let them be silent, for it hath not been permitted to them to speak, but to be subject, as also the law saith;

35 B ut if there is anything they want to learn, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to talk in church '> for her to usurp and exercise authority over men in the church].

and if they wish to learn anything, at home their own husbands let them question, for it is a shame to women to speak in an assembly.

36 W hat! Did the word of the Lord originate with you, or has it reached only you?

From you did the word of God come forth? or to you alone did it come?

37 I f anyone thinks and claims that he is a prophet or has any other spiritual endowment, let him understand (recognize and acknowledge) that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.

if any one doth think to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write to you -- that of the Lord they are commands;

38 B ut if anyone disregards or does not recognize '> that it is a command of the Lord], he is disregarded and not recognized '> one whom God knows not].

and if any one is ignorant -- let him be ignorant;

39 S o, my brethren, earnestly desire and set your hearts on prophesying (on being inspired to preach and teach and to interpret God’s will and purpose), and do not forbid or hinder speaking in tongues.

so that, brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and to speak with tongues do not forbid;

40 B ut all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion.

let all things be done decently and in order.