1 And I, when I came to you, brothers,¹ did not come proclaiming to you the testimony² of God with ^vlofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you ^wexcept Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in ^xweakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were ^ynot in plausible words of wisdom, but ^zin demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men³ but in the ^apower of God.

1 ^cNow concerning^{1 d}spiritual gifts,² brothers,³ I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to ^emute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say ^f“Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are ^gvarieties of gifts, but ^hthe same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the ⁱsame Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who ^jempowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another ^kfaith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of ^lmiracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to ^mdistinguish between spirits, to another ⁿvarious kinds of tongues, to another the ^ointerpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually ^pas he wills.

12 ^qFor just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, ^rslaves⁴ or free—and ^sall were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, ^tthere are many parts,⁵ yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no ^udivision in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 ^vIf one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now ^wyou are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church ^xfirst apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But ^yearnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.

1 If I ^zspeak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have ^aprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all ^bknowledge, and if I have all ^cfaith, ^dso as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I ^egive away all I have, and if I deliver up my body ^fto be burned,⁶ but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is ^gpatient and ^hkind; love ⁱdoes not envy or boast; it is not ^jarrogant 5 or rude. ^kIt does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;⁷ 6 it does not ^lrejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I ^mgave up childish ways. 12 For now we ⁿsee in a mirror dimly, but then ^oface to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as ^pI have been fully known.

13 ^qSo now ^rfaith, hope, and love abide, these three; but ^sthe greatest of these is love.

1 Pursue love, and ^tearnestly desire the ^uspiritual gifts, especially that you may ^vprophesy. 2 For one who ^wspeaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters ^xmysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their ^yupbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, ^zbut even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone ^ainterprets, so that the church may be built up.

6 Now, brothers,⁸ if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some ^brevelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

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; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider⁹ say “Amen” to 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.

20 Brothers, ^cdo not be ^dchildren in your thinking. ^eBe infants in evil, but in your thinking be ^fmature. 21 In the Law it is written, ^g“By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign¹⁰ not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, ^hwill they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are ⁱdisclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and ^jdeclare that God is really among you.

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others ^kweigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of ^lconfusion but of ^mpeace.

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 ⁿthe women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or ^ospiritual, he should acknowledge that ^pthe things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, ^qearnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But ^rall things should be done decently and ^sin order.