You know that when you were heathen you were in the habit of going off, wherever you might be led, after idols that could not speak.

To one, wise speech is given by the Spirit; to another, by the same Spirit, intelligent speech is given;

If I could speak the languages of men, of angels too, and have no love, I am only a rattling pan or a clashing cymbal.

I would like for all of you to speak in ecstasy, but I would rather that you prophesy. The man who speaks with real prophetic insight renders greater service than the man who speaks in ecstasy, unless the latter explains it, so the congregation may receive an uplift.

But as it now is, brothers, if I do come back to you speaking in ecstasy, what good shall I do you, unless my speech contains a revelation or new knowledge or a prophetic message or some teaching?

So it is with you; unless in your ecstatic speaking you speak a message that is clearly intelligible, how can the message spoken by you be understood? You might just as well be talking to the air!

Thank God, I speak in ecstasy more than any of you.

But in the public congregation I would rather speak five words with my mind in action, in order to instruct the people too, than ten thousand words in ecstasy.

In the law it is written, "By men of foreign languages and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."

If anybody speaks in ecstasy, there must be only two, or three at most, and let one speak at a time, and someone explain what he says.

But if there is no one to explain it, let him keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God alone.

Let two or three prophets speak, and the rest consider carefully what is said;

For in this way you can all, one after another, speak your prophetic message, so that all may learn and be encouraged,

Women must keep quiet in the churches, for no permission is given them to speak. On the contrary, they must take a subordinate place, just as the law says.

If they want to find out about something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.