1 Corinthians 14:5–19

⁵I would that ye all ^dspake with tongues, but ^jrather that ye ^cprophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, ^kexcept he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. ⁶Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by ^lrevelation, or by ^mknowledge, or by ^cprophesying, or by ⁿdoctrine? ⁷And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the ^||osounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? ⁸For if ^pthe trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to ^qthe battle? ⁹So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words ^†easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall ^rspeak into the air. ¹⁰There are, ^sit may be, ^tso many ^ukinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. ¹¹Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a ^xbarbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. ¹²Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous ^†of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to ^fthe edifying of the church. ¹³Wherefore let him that ^dspeaketh in an unknown tongue pray ^kthat he may interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. ¹⁵What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: ^yI will sing with the spirit, and I will sing ^zwith the understanding also. ¹⁶Else when thou shalt ^abless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the ^bunlearned say ^cAmen at ^dthy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? ¹⁷For thou verily givest ^dthanks well, but the other is not edified. ¹⁸I thank my God, I ^cspeak with tongues more than ye all: ¹⁹Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might ^eteach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.