¹Jitahidini kuwa na upendo. Vilevile fanyeni bidii ya kupata vipaji vingine vya kiroho, hasa kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu.

¹Pursue the love, and seek earnestly the spiritual things, and rather that ye may prophecy,

²Mwenye kunena lugha ngeni hasemi na watu bali anasema na Mungu. Yeye hunena kwa nguvu ya Roho mambo yaliyofichika.

²for he who is speaking in an [unknown] tongue — to men he doth not speak, but to God, for no one doth hearken, and in spirit he doth speak secrets;

³Lakini mwenye kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, husema na watu kwa ajili ya kuwajenga, kuwafariji na kuwatia moyo.

³and he who is prophesying to men doth speak edification, and exhortation, and comfort;

⁴Mwenye kunena lugha ngeni anajijenga mwenyewe. Lakini mwenye kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, analijenga kanisa.

⁴he who is speaking in an [unknown] tongue, himself doth edify, and he who is prophesying, an assembly doth edify;

⁵Basi, ningependa ninyi nyote mseme kwa lugha ngeni lakini ningependelea hasa muwe na kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, maana mtu mwenye kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, ni wa maana zaidi kuliko yule mwenye kusema lugha ngeni, isipokuwa tu kama yupo hapo mtu awezaye kuyafafanua hayo mambo asemayo, ili kanisa lipate kujengwa.

⁵and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification.

⁶Hivyo, ndugu zangu, kama nikija kwenu na kusema nanyi kwa lugha ngeni itawafaa nini? Haitawafaa chochote, isipokuwa tu kama nitawaelezeni ufunuo wa Mungu au ujuzi fulani au ujumbe wa Mungu au mafundisho fulani.

⁶And now, brethren, if I may come unto you speaking tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either in revelation, or in knowledge, or in prophesying, or in teaching?

⁷Ndivyo ilivyo kwa vyombo visivyo na uhai vyenye kutoa sauti kama vile filimbi au kinanda. Je, mtu anawezaje kuutambua wimbo unaochezwa kama vyombo hivyo havitoi sauti waziwazi vinapopigwa?

⁷yet the things without life giving sound — whether pipe or harp — if a difference in the sounds they may not give, how shall be known that which is piped or that which is harped?

⁸La mgambo likilia bila kufuata taratibu zake, nani atajiweka tayari kwa vita?

⁸for if also an uncertain sound a trumpet may give, who shall prepare himself for battle?

⁹Hali kadhalika na ninyi, kama ulimi wenu hausemi kitu chenye kueleweka, nani ataweza kufahamu mnayosema? Maneno yenu yatapotea hewani.

⁹so also ye, if through the tongue, speech easily understood ye may not give — how shall that which is spoken be known? for ye shall be speaking to air.

¹⁰Zipo lugha mbalimbali ulimwenguni, na hakuna hata mojawapo isiyo na maana.

¹⁰There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning,

¹¹Lakini ikiwa mimi sifahamu maana ya lugha asemayo mtu fulani, mimi ni mgeni kwake mtu huyo naye pia ni mgeni kwangu.

¹¹if, then, I do not know the power of the voice, I shall be to him who is speaking a foreigner, and he who is speaking, is to me a foreigner;

¹²Hali kadhalika na ninyi, maadam mna hamu ya kupata vipaji vya Roho, jitahidini hasa kujipatia vile vinavyosaidia kulijenga kanisa.

¹²so also ye, since ye are earnestly desirous of spiritual gifts, for the building up of the assembly seek that ye may abound;

¹³Kwa hiyo, mwenye kunena lugha ngeni na aombe apate uwezo wa kuzifafanua.

¹³wherefore he who is speaking in an [unknown] tongue — let him pray that he may interpret;

¹⁴Maana, nikisali kwa lugha ngeni roho yangu ndiyo inayosali, lakini akili yangu hubaki bure.

¹⁴for if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit doth pray, and my understanding is unfruitful.

¹⁵Nifanye nini, basi? Nitasali kwa roho yangu, nitasali pia kwa akili yangu; nitaimba kwa roho yangu, nitaimba pia kwa akili yangu.

¹⁵What then is it? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray also with the understanding; I will sing psalms with the spirit, and I will sing psalms also with the understanding;

¹⁶Ukimsifu Mungu kwa roho yako tu, atawezaje mtu wa kawaida aliye katika mkutano kuitikia sala yako ya shukrani kwa kusema: "Amina," kama haelewi unachosema?

¹⁶since, if thou mayest bless with the spirit, he who is filling the place of the unlearned, how shall he say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, since what thou dost say he hath not known?

¹⁷Sala yako ya shukrani yaweza kweli kuwa bora, lakini huyo mwingine haitamfaidia.

¹⁷for thou, indeed, dost give thanks well, but the other is not built up!

¹⁸Namshukuru Mungu kwamba mimi nasema kwa lugha ngeni zaidi kuliko ninyi nyote.

¹⁸I give thanks to my God — more than you all with tongues speaking —

¹⁹Lakini katika mikutano ya waumini napendelea zaidi kusema maneno matano yenye kueleweka ili niwafundishe wengine, kuliko kusema maneno elfu ya lugha ngeni.

¹⁹but in an assembly I wish to speak five words through my understanding, that others also I may instruct, rather than myriads of words in an [unknown] tongue.

²⁰Ndugu, msiwe kama watoto katika fikira zenu. Kuhusu uovu muwe kama watoto wachanga lakini katika kufikiri ni lazima muwe kama watu waliokomaa.

²⁰Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;

²¹Imeandikwa katika Sheria: "Bwana asema hivi: Kwa njia ya wenye kunena lugha ngeni, na kwa midomo ya wageni, nitasema na watu hawa, hata hivyo, hawatanisikiliza."

²¹in the law it hath been written, that, `With other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people, and not even so will they hear Me, saith the Lord;`

²²Hivyo basi, kipaji cha kusema lugha ngeni ni ishara, si kwa ajili ya watu wenye imani, bali kwa ajili ya wale wasioamini; lakini kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu ni kwa ajili ya wale wanaoamini na si kwa ajili ya wasioamini.

²²so that the tongues are for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelieving; and the prophesy [is] not for the unbelieving, but for the believing,

²³Basi, kanisa lote linapokutana pamoja, na wote wakaanza kusema kwa lugha ngeni, kama wakija watu wa kawaida au wasioamini, je, hawatasema kwamba ninyi mna wazimu?

²³If, therefore, the whole assembly may come together, to the same place, and all may speak with tongues, and there may come in unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

²⁴Lakini, wote wakiwa wanautangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, akija mtu wa kawaida au asiyeamini, yote atakayosikia yatamhakikishia ubaya wake mwenyewe; yote atakayosikia yatamhukumu.

²⁴and if all may prophecy, and any one may come in, an unbeliever or unlearned, he is convicted by all, he is discerned by all,

²⁵Siri za moyo wake zitafichuliwa, naye atapiga magoti na kumwabudu Mungu akisema: "Kweli Mungu yupo pamoja nanyi."

²⁵and so the secrets of his heart become manifest, and so having fallen upon [his] face, he will bow before God, declaring that God really is among you.

²⁶Ndugu, tuseme nini, basi? Mnapokutana pamoja, mmoja aimbe wimbo, mwingine atoe mafundisho, mwingine awe na ufunuo kutoka kwa Mungu, mwingine atumie kipaji cha kusema kwa lugha ngeni na mwingine afafanue yanayosemwa. Yote yawe kwa ajili ya kulijenga kanisa.

²⁶What then is it, brethren? whenever ye may come together, each of you hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? let all things be for building up;

²⁷Wakiwepo watu wenye vipaji vya kusema kwa lugha ngeni, waseme wawili au watatu, si zaidi, tena mmojammoja; na aweko mtu wa kufafanua yanayosemwa.

²⁷if an [unknown] tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret;

²⁸Lakini kama hakuna awezaye kufafanua, basi, mwenye kusema lugha ngeni anyamaze mkutanoni, aseme na nafsi yake mwenyewe na Mungu.

²⁸and if there may be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, and to himself let him speak, and to God.

²⁹Kuhusu wale wenye kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, waseme wawili au watatu, na wengine wayapime maneno yao.

²⁹And prophets — let two or three speak, and let the others discern,

³⁰Ikiwa mmoja anaposema mwingine wa wasikilizaji amepata ufunuo kutoka kwa Mungu, basi, yule anayesema anyamaze.

³⁰and if to another sitting [anything] may be revealed, let the first be silent;

³¹Maana nyote mwaweza kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu, mmoja baada ya mwingine, ili nyote mpate kujifunza na kutiwa moyo.

³¹for ye are able, one by one, all to prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted,

³²Kipaji cha kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu ni lazima kitawaliwe na huyo mwenye hicho kipaji.

³²and the spiritual gift of prophets to prophets are subject,

³³Maana Mungu si Mungu wa fujo, ila wa amani.

³³for God is not [a God] of tumult, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.

³⁴Kama ilivyo desturi katika makanisa yote ya watu wa Mungu, wanawake wakae kimya katika mikutano ya waumini. Hawana ruhusa kusema; ila wawe watii kama isemavyo Sheria.

³⁴Your women in the assemblies let them be silent, for it hath not been permitted to them to speak, but to be subject, as also the law saith;

³⁵Ikiwa wanayo maswali ya kuuliza, wawaulize waume zao nyumbani, maana ni aibu kwa mwanamke kusema katika mikutano ya waumini.

³⁵and if they wish to learn anything, at home their own husbands let them question, for it is a shame to women to speak in an assembly.

³⁶Je, mnadhani neno la Mungu limetoka kwenu ninyi au kwamba limewajieni ninyi peke yenu?

³⁶From you did the word of God come forth? or to you alone did it come?

³⁷Kama mtu yeyote anadhani kwamba yeye ni mjumbe wa Mungu au kwamba anacho kipaji cha Roho, na ajue kwamba haya ninayowaandikia ninyi ni amri ya Bwana.

³⁷if any one doth think to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write to you — that of the Lord they are commands;

³⁸Lakini mtu asiyetambua hayo, basi, mtu asimjali mtu huyo.

³⁸and if any one is ignorant — let him be ignorant;

³⁹Hivyo basi, ndugu zangu, mnapaswa kuwa na hamu ya kutangaza ujumbe wa Mungu; lakini msimkataze mtu kusema kwa lugha ngeni.

³⁹so that, brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and to speak with tongues do not forbid;

⁴⁰Lakini yote yafanyike kwa heshima na kwa utaratibu.

⁴⁰let all things be done decently and in order.