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

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Footnotes

  1. 14:16 Or praise by the Spirit
  2. 14:16 Lit the one filling the place of the uninformed

13 So anyone who speaks in tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said. 14 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying.

15 Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit,[a] and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand. 16 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? 17 You will be giving thanks very well, but it won’t strengthen the people who hear you.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. 19 But in a church meeting I would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words in an unknown language.

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Footnotes

  1. 14:15 Or in the Spirit; also in 14:15b, 16.