^14:14If⁶ I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive. ^14:15What should I do?⁷ I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, but I will also sing praises with my mind. ^14:16Otherwise, if you are praising God with your spirit, how can someone without the gift⁸ say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

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Footnotes

6 Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A Ds Ψ 048 𝔐 lat sy bo), have γάρ (gar, “for”) here, while an equally impressive array of witnesses lack the conjunction (𝔓46 B F G 0243 1739 1881 sa). This conjunction was frequently added by scribes in epistolary literature as a clarifying word, making the connection with the preceding more explicit. As such, it has the earmarks of being a motivated reading and thus should be rejected. places the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
7 Grk “what then is it?”
8 Grk “how can someone who fills the place of the unlearned say ‘Amen.’ ”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?

NIVNew International Version (2011)

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?

CSBChristian Standard Bible

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 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. Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

NLTNew Living Translation

For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.

Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand. For if you praise God only in the spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you? How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are saying?

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive. Therefore what should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will also sing praise with my mind. For otherwise, if you praise in your spirit, how will the one who fills the place of the outsider say the “amen” at your thanksgiving, because he does not know what you are saying?

KJV 1900King James Version

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?

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