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.
20. Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.
21. It is written in the Scriptures:“I will speak to my own peoplethrough strange languagesand through the lips of foreigners.But even then, they will not listen to me,”says the lord.
22. So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers.
23. Even so, if unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they will think you are crazy.