Book of Common Prayer

14 Love is the thing you should want more than anything else. But you should also want other things the Spirit gives. You should want very much to be able to speak words from God.

² The person who talks in tongues of a different language does not talk to people, but to God. People do not understand what he says. But he is saying secret things by the Spirit.

³ But the person who is a prophet speaks words from God to people plainly. He helps them to believe and to be strong, and he comforts them.

⁴ The person who talks in a different tongue helps himself. But the one who tells forth God's word helps all the people in the church.

⁵ I wish that you could all talk in different tongues. But I want even more that you should speak words from God for all to hear and understand. The person who speaks words from God is greater than the person who talks in tongues - unless he is able to tell the meaning of his words, so that he helps all the people in the church.

⁶ My brothers, if I come to you and talk in tongues of a different language, how can I help you? I cannot help you if I do not tell you something God has shown to me, or something I know, or God's word, or some teaching.

⁷ Such things as horns or harps have no life, but they make sounds. Now if they don't make the right noise, no one will know what the sound means.

⁸ If the war drum gives a sound that has no meaning, then no one will get ready to fight.

⁹ If you say words that people cannot understand, they will not know what you say. You talk for nothing!

¹⁰ There are no doubt many different languages in the world. And every one of them has a meaning.

¹¹ But if a person talks in a language and I do not know the meaning of it, I will be like a stranger to him and he will be like a stranger to me.

¹² So it is with you. You want the gifts of the Spirit. Then you should want the gift which will make you better able to help the church people.

¹⁶ `I am sending you out amongst people. You will be like sheep amongst bad animals like wolves. So be wise like snakes, and harmless like doves.

¹⁷ But take care. Men will take you to their courts. They will beat you in their meeting houses.

¹⁸ They will bring you to rulers and kings for my sake. Then you will talk about me to them and to those who are not Jews.

¹⁹ When men take you to court, do not be troubled about what you will say. What you are to say will come to your mind at the right time.

²⁰ It is not you who speak. But it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.

²¹ A brother will take his brother to be killed. A father will take his child. The children will talk against their father and mother, and have them killed.

²² Everyone will hate you because you are true to me. But the person who keeps on being true to me until the end, will be saved.

²³ When they trouble you in one town, go to another. I tell you the truth. You will not go to all the towns in Israel before the Son of Man comes.