13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; (A)I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will (B)sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider[a] say (C)“Amen” to (D)your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 14:16 Or of him that is without gifts

13 Therefore the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can interpret. 14 For if I pray in another language, 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 with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit,[a] how will the uninformed person[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 other languages 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 10,000 words in another language.

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Footnotes

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