top1Cor 14 prev next
Greek: New Testament (NAS)
English: John Barach
Chapter 14
Prophecy vs. Tongues in the Assembly
1 Διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην, ζηλοῦτε δὲ τὰ πνευματικά, μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα προφητεύητε. 2 ὁ γὰρ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ ἀλλὰ θεῷ· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει, πνεύματι δὲ λαλεῖ μυστήρια· 3 ὁ δὲ προφητεύων ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ οἰκοδομὴν καὶ παράκλησιν καὶ παραμυθίαν. 4 ὁ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ ἑαυτὸν οἰκοδομεῖ· ὁ δὲ προφητεύων ἐκκλησίαν οἰκοδομεῖ. 5 θέλω δὲ πάντας ὑμᾶς λαλεῖν γλώσσαις, μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα προφητεύητε· μείζων δὲ ὁ προφητεύων ἢ ὁ λαλῶν γλώσσαις ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ διερμηνεύῃ, ἵνα ἡ ἐκκλησία οἰκοδομὴν λάβῃ.
1Pursue love, yet strive for spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. 2For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him, but in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their building up, encouragement, and consolation. 4The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5Now I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive building up.
The Necessity of Intelligibility
6 Νῦν δέ, ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς γλώσσαις λαλῶν, τί ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσω ἐὰν μὴ ὑμῖν λαλήσω ἢ ἐν ἀποκαλύψει ἢ ἐν γνώσει ἢ ἐν προφητείᾳ ἢ [ἐν] διδαχῇ; 7 ὅμως τὰ ἄψυχα φωνὴν διδόντα, εἴτε αὐλὸς εἴτε κιθάρα, ἐὰν διαστολὴν τοῖς φθόγγοις μὴ δῷ, πῶς γνωσθήσεται τὸ αὐλούμενον ἢ τὸ κιθαριζόμενον; 8 καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν ἄδηλον σάλπιγξ φωνὴν δῷ, τίς παρασκευάσεται εἰς πόλεμον; 9 οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς διὰ τῆς γλώσσης ἐὰν μὴ εὔσημον λόγον δῶτε, πῶς γνωσθήσεται τὸ λαλούμενον; ἔσεσθε γὰρ εἰς ἀέρα λαλοῦντες.
6Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you either by revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7Even with lifeless things that produce a sound, whether flute or harp, if they do not provide a distinction in the notes, how will anyone know what is being played on the flute or the harp? 8And indeed, if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will prepare for battle? 9So it is with you: unless you utter an intelligible word with your tongue, how will what is said be known? For you will be speaking into the air.
10 τοσαῦτα εἰ τύχοι γένη φωνῶν εἰσιν ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ οὐδὲν ἄφωνον· 11 ἐὰν οὖν μὴ εἰδῶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς φωνῆς, ἔσομαι τῷ λαλοῦντι βάρβαρος καὶ ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ βάρβαρος. 12 οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἐπεὶ ζηλωταί ἐστε πνευμάτων, πρὸς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ζητεῖτε ἵνα περισσεύητε.
10There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning. 11If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a “barbarian” to the speaker and the speaker a “barbarian” to me. 12So also you, since you are zealots for spiritual manifestations, seek to abound in them for the building up of the church.
Praying with Spirit and Mind
13 Διὸ ὁ λαλῶν γλώσσῃ προσευχέσθω ἵνα διερμηνεύῃ. 14 ἐὰν [γὰρ] προσεύχωμαι γλώσσῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου προσεύχεται, ὁ δὲ νοῦς μου ἄκαρπός ἐστιν. 15 τί οὖν ἐστιν; προσεύξομαι τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ· ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ. 16 ἐπεὶ ἐὰν εὐλογῇς [ἐν] πνεύματι, ὁ ἀναπληρῶν τὸν τόπον τοῦ ἰδιώτου πῶς ἐρεῖ τὸ Ἀμήν ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ εὐχαριστίᾳ; ἐπειδὴ τί λέγεις οὐκ οἶδεν· 17 σὺ μὲν γὰρ καλῶς εὐχαριστεῖς ἀλλ' ὁ ἕτερος οὐκ οἰκοδομεῖται. 18 Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, πάντων ὑμῶν μᾶλλον γλώσσαις λαλῶ· 19 ἀλλὰ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θέλω πέντε λόγους τῷ νοΐ μου λαλῆσαι, ἵνα καὶ ἄλλους κατηχήσω, ἢ μυρίους λόγους ἐν γλώσσῃ.
13Therefore, the one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will also pray with the mind; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will also sing praise with the mind. 16Otherwise, if you give a blessing in the spirit, how can the one occupying the place of the “outsider” say “Amen” to your thanksgiving? Since he doesn’t know what you are saying! 17For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; 19but in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind, so that I might instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
The Purpose of Gifts and the Impression on Outsiders
20 Ἀδελφοί, μὴ παιδία γίνεσθε ταῖς φρεσὶν ἀλλὰ τῇ κακίᾳ νηπιάζετε, ταῖς δὲ φρεσὶν τέλειοι γίνεσθε. 21 ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται ὅτι
  Ἐν ἑτερογλώσσοις
καὶ ἐν χείλεσιν ἑτέρων
λαλήσω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ
καὶ οὐδ' οὕτως εἰσακούσονταί μου, {Isa. 28:11-12}
λέγει κύριος. 22 ὥστε αἱ γλῶσσαι εἰς σημεῖόν εἰσιν οὐ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀπίστοις, ἡ δὲ προφητεία οὐ τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἀλλὰ τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. 23 Ἐὰν οὖν συνέλθῃ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὅλη ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ πάντες λαλῶσιν γλώσσαις, εἰσέλθωσιν δὲ ἰδιῶται ἢ ἄπιστοι, οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ὅτι μαίνεσθε; 24 ἐὰν δὲ πάντες προφητεύωσιν, εἰσέλθῃ δὲ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων, 25 τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γίνεται, καὶ οὕτως πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προσκυνήσει τῷ θεῷ ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι Ὄντως ὁ θεὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστιν.
20Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Rather, be infants in regard to evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21In the Law it is written:
  “By people of strange tongues
and by the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
and even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.” {Isa. 28:11-12}
22So then, tongues are a sign, not for those who believe but for unbelievers; while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. 23If, therefore, the whole church assembles in the same place and everyone speaks in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24But if everyone prophesies, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; 25the secrets of his heart become manifest, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring, “God is truly among you!”
Orderly Worship
26 Τί οὖν ἐστιν, ἀδελφοί; ὅταν συνέρχησθε, ἕκαστος ψαλμὸν ἔχει, διδαχὴν ἔχει, ἀποκάλυψιν ἔχει, γλῶσσαν ἔχει, ἑρμηνείαν ἔχει· πάντα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν γινέσθω. 27 εἴτε γλώσσῃ τις λαλεῖ, κατὰ δύο ἢ τὸ πλεῖστον τρεῖς καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος,2 καὶ εἷς διερμηνευέτω· 28 ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ διερμηνευτής, σιγάτω ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἑαυτῷ δὲ λαλείτω καὶ τῷ θεῷ. 29 προφῆται δὲ δύο ἢ τρεῖς λαλείτωσαν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι διακρινέτωσαν· 30 ἐὰν δὲ ἄλλῳ ἀποκαλυφθῇ καθημένῳ, ὁ πρῶτος σιγάτω. 31 δύνασθε γὰρ καθ' ἕνα πάντες προφητεύειν, ἵνα πάντες μανθάνωσιν καὶ πάντες παρακαλῶνται. 32 καὶ πνεύματα προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεται, 33 οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἀκαταστασίας ὁ θεὸς ἀλλὰ εἰρήνης.
26What is the result then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be limited to two or at most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret. 28But if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30but if a revelation is made to another who is sitting down, let the first person keep silent. 31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33for God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
Instructions Regarding Women and Final Appeal
Ὡς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῶν ἁγίων 34 αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις σιγάτωσαν· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέπεται αὐταῖς λαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ ὑποτασσέσθωσαν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ νόμος λέγει. 35 εἰ δέ τι μαθεῖν θέλουσιν, ἐν οἴκῳ τοὺς ἰδίους ἄνδρας ἐπερωτάτωσαν· αἰσχρὸν γάρ ἐστιν γυναικὶ λαλεῖν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ. 36 ἢ ἀφ' ὑμῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν, ἢ εἰς ὑμᾶς μόνους κατήντησεν;
As in all the churches of the saints, 34the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, just as the Law says. 35If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church. 36Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
37 Εἴ τις δοκεῖ προφήτης εἶναι ἢ πνευματικός, ἐπιγινωσκέτω ἃ γράφω ὑμῖν ὅτι κυρίου ἐστὶν ἐντολή· 38 εἰ δέ τις ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖται. 39 Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί [μου], ζηλοῦτε τὸ προφητεύειν καὶ τὸ λαλεῖν μὴ κωλύετε γλώσσαις· 40 πάντα δὲ εὐσχημόνως καὶ κατὰ τάξιν γινέσθω.
37If anyone thinks he is a prophet or a spiritual person, let him recognize that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38But if anyone ignores this, he is ignored. 39So then, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But let all things be done decently and in order.