1 Corinthians 13–14

LOVE: THE SUPERIOR WAY

13If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love,^x I am a noisy gong^y or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy^z and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains^aa but do not have love, I am nothing. ³And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast^A but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient,^ab love is kind. Love does not envy,^ac is not boastful, is not arrogant,^{ad 5}is not rude, is not self-seeking,^ae is not irritable,^af and does not keep a record of wrongs. ⁶Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.^{ag 7}It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures^ah all things.

⁸Love never ends.^ai But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. ¹²For now we see only a reflection^B as in a mirror, but then face to face.^aj Now I know in part, but then I will know fully,^ak as I am fully known.^{al 13}Now these three remain: faith, hope,^am and love—but the greatest of these is love.

PROPHECY: A SUPERIOR GIFT

14Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. ²For the person who speaks in a tongue^a is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.^{D 3}On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,^E encouragement, and consolation. ⁴The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. ⁵I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

⁶So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation^b or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁷Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp^c—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? ⁸In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?^{d 9}In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. ¹¹Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner^G to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. ¹²So also you—since you are zealous^e for spiritual gifts,^Hf seek to excel in building up the church.

¹³Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit^g prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.^{h 15}What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. ¹⁶Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit,^A how will the outsider^B say “Amen”ⁱ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. ¹⁸I thank^j God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; ¹⁹yet in the church I would rather speak five words^k with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.^{l 21}It is written in the law,

I will speak to this people

by people of other tongues

and by the lips of foreigners,

and even then, they will not listen to me,^Cm

says the Lord. ²²Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? ²⁴But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted by all and is called to account by all. ²⁵The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”ⁿ

ORDER IN CHURCH MEETINGS

²⁶What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one^D has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.^o Everything is to be done for building up. ²⁷If anyone speaks in a tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let someone interpret. ²⁸But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God. ²⁹Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate.^{p 30}But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. ³¹For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.^{q 32}And the prophets’ spirits are subject to the prophets, ³³since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints,^{r 34}the women^E should be silent in the churches,^s for they are not permitted to speak, but are to submit themselves, as the law also says. ³⁵If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands^a at home, since it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. ³⁶Or did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?

³⁷If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸If anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.^{A 39}So then, my brothers and sisters, be eager^b to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰But everything is to be done decently^c and in order.