Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others discern.
Parallel translations
- KJV Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
- BSB Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
- NKJV Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
- NASB Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment.
- NLT Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. Prophecy too is limited and must be evaluated.
Overview
Paul applies similar order to prophecy, limiting the number who speak and requiring the church to discern their words. Even Spirit-prompted speech is subject to testing against truth. This guards against error and shows that the gifts operate within accountability to the wider body and to God's revealed word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Cor 12:10and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.
- 1 Th 5:19–21Don’t quench the Spirit.
- 1 Jn 4:1–3Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- 1 Cor 14:39Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking with other languages.
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 14:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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