1 Corinthians 12–14

CHAPTER 12

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

¹Now concerning ^aspiritual gifts, brothers, ^bI do not want you to be ignorant.

^2aYou know that when you were pagans, you were ^bbeing led astray to the ^cmute idols, however you were led.

³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking ^1aby the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is ^2baccursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is ^cLord,” except ^3dby the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are ^avarieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

⁵And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.

⁶And there are varieties of workings, but the same ^aGod who works everything in everyone.

⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit ^afor what is profitable.

⁸For to one is given the word of ^awisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of ^bknowledge according to the same Spirit;

⁹to someone else ^afaith ¹by the same Spirit, and to another ^bgifts of ²healing ³by the one Spirit,

¹⁰and to another the workings of ^amiracles, and to another ^bprophecy, and to another the ^1cdistinguishing of spirits, to someone else various ^dkinds of tongues, and to another the ^2etranslation of tongues.

¹¹But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^adistributing to each one individually just as He wills.

¹²For even ^aas the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, ^bso also is Christ.

¹³For also ^1aby one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether ^bJews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to ^cdrink of one Spirit.

¹⁴For also ^athe body is not one member, but many.

¹⁵If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ¹any the less a part of the body.

¹⁶And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ¹any the less a part of the body.

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

¹⁸But now God has ^aappointed the members, each one of them, in the body, ^bjust as He desired.

¹⁹And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰But now ^athere are many members, but one body.

²¹And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

²²On the contrary, how much more is it that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary,

²³and those members of the body which we think as less honorable, ¹on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,

²⁴whereas our more presentable members have no such need. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

²⁵so that there may be no ¹division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

²⁶And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is ¹honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are ^aChrist’s body, and ^bindividually members of it.

²⁸And God has ^1aappointed in ^bthe church, first ^capostles, second ^dprophets, third ^eteachers, then ^2fmiracles, then ^ggifts of healings, helps, ^hadministrations, various ⁱkinds of tongues.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of ¹miracles?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all ^1atranslate?

³¹But ¹you ^aearnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I will yet show you a more excellent way.

CHAPTER 13

The Excellence of Love

¹If I speak with the ^atongues of men and of ^bangels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ^cclanging cymbal.

²And if I have the gift of ^aprophecy, and know all ^bmysteries and all ^cknowledge; and if I have ^dall faith, so as to ^eremove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

³And if I ^agive all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I ^bsurrender my body ¹to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴Love ^ais patient, love is kind, ^bis not jealous, does not brag, is not ^cpuffed up;

⁵it does not act unbecomingly, ^adoes not seek its own, is not provoked, ^bdoes not take into account a wrong suffered;

^6ait does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^brejoices with the truth;

^71ait bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails, but if there are gifts of ^1aprophecy, they will be done away; if there are ^btongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

⁹For we ^aknow in part and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰but when the ¹perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. When I ¹became a man, I did away with childish things.

¹²For now we ^asee in a mirror ¹dimly, but then ^bface to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also ^chave been fully known.

¹³But now abide faith, hope, love—these three; but the ¹greatest of these is ^alove.

CHAPTER 14

Prophecy and Tongues

^1aPursue love, yet ^bearnestly desire ^cspiritual gifts, but especially that you may ^dprophesy.

²For one who ^aspeaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one ¹understands, but ²in his spirit he speaks ^bmysteries.

³But one who prophesies speaks to men for ^aedification and ^bexhortation and encouragement.

⁴One who ^aspeaks in a tongue ^bedifies himself; but one who ^cprophesies ^dedifies the church.

⁵But I wish that you all ^aspoke in tongues, but ^beven more that you would prophesy. And greater is one who prophesies than one who ^cspeaks in tongues, unless he ¹translates, so that the church may receive ^dedification.

⁶But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of ^arevelation or of ^bknowledge or of ^cprophecy or of ^dteaching?

⁷Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp?

⁸For if ^athe trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

⁹So also you, unless you utter by the tongue a word that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be ^aspeaking into the air.

¹⁰There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of sounds in the world, and none is without meaning.

¹¹If then I do not know the meaning of the sound, I will be to the one who speaks a ^1abarbarian, and the one who speaks will be a ²barbarian ³to me.

¹²So also you, since you are zealous for ¹spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the ^aedification of the church.

¹³Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may ¹translate.

¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

^15aWhat is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will ^bsing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

¹⁶Otherwise if you bless ¹in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ²uninformed say ^athe “Amen” at your ^bgiving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

¹⁷For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not ^aedified.

¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all;

¹⁹however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

^20aBrothers, ^bdo not be children in your thinking; rather in evil ^cbe infants, but in your thinking be mature.

²¹In ^athe Law it is written, “^bBy men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the ¹Lord.

²²So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but ^aprophecy is for a sign not to unbelievers but to those who believe.

²³Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ¹uninformed men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that ^ayou are out of your mind?

²⁴But if all ^aprophesy, and an unbeliever or an ¹uninformed man enters, he is ^bconvicted by all, he is called to account by all;

^25athe secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will ^bfall on his face and worship God, declaring that ^csurely God is among you.

Orderly Worship

^26aWhat is the outcome then, ^bbrothers? When you assemble, ^ceach one has a ^dpsalm, has a ^eteaching, has a ^frevelation, has a ^gtongue, has a ^1htranslation. Let ⁱall things be done for edification.

²⁷If anyone speaks in a ^atongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must ^1btranslate;

²⁸but if there is no ¹translator, he must keep silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God.

²⁹And let two or three ^aprophets speak, and let the others ^bpass judgment.

³⁰But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.

³¹For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.

³²And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;

³³for God is not a God of ^aconfusion but of ¹peace, as in ^ball the churches of the ^csaints.

³⁴The women are to ^akeep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but ^bare to subject themselves, just as ^cthe Law also says.

³⁵But if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.

³⁶¹Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it arrived to you only?

^37aIf anyone thinks he is a prophet or ^bspiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you ^care the Lord’s commandment.

³⁸But if anyone remains ignorant about this, he ¹is ignored by God.

³⁹Therefore, my brothers, ^aearnestly desire to ^bprophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.

⁴⁰But ^aall things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.