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, how will the uninformed person say “Amen” 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 God that I speak in other languages more than all of you;
19. yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.
20. Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.
21. It is written in the law:I will speak to these peopleby people of other languagesand by the lips of foreigners,and even then, they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.
22. It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.
23. Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?
24. But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all.
25. The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”
26. What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.
27. If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret.