1401 Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me. 2 Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble 'for' wars. 3 They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder 'is' under their lips. Selah. 4 Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps. 5 The proud hid a snare for me—and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah. 6 I have said to Jehovah, 'My God 'art' Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.' 7 O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.
8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah. 9 The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them. 10 They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits—they arise not. 11 A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence—evil hunteth to overflowing. 12 I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy. 13 Only—the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!
1411 O Jehovah, I have called Thee, haste to me, Give ear 'to' my voice when I call to Thee. 2 My prayer is prepared—incense before Thee, The lifting up of my hands—the evening present. 3 Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to an evil thing, To do habitually actions in wickedness, With men working iniquity, Yea, I eat not of their pleasant things.
5 The righteous doth beat me 'in' kindness. And doth reprove me, Oil of the head my head disalloweth not, For still my prayer 'is' about their vexations. 6 Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant. 7 As one tilling and ripping up in the land, Have our bones been scattered at the command of Saul. 8 But to Thee, O Jehovah, my Lord, 'are' mine eyes, In Thee I have trusted, Make not bare my soul. 9 Keep me from the gin they laid for me, Even snares of workers of iniquity. 10 The wicked fall in their nets together, till I pass over!
1421 An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice 'is' unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice 'is' unto Jehovah, I entreat grace. 2 I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare. 3 When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way 'in' which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.
4 Looking on the right hand—and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul. 5 I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, 'Thou 'art' my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.' 6 Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I. 7 Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!
141 Pursue the love, and seek earnestly the spiritual things, and rather that ye may prophecy, 2 for 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; 3 and he who is prophesying to men doth speak edification, and exhortation, and comfort; 4 he who is speaking in an 'unknown' tongue, himself doth edify, and he who is prophesying, an assembly doth edify; 5 and 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.
6 And 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? 7 yet 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? 8 for if also an uncertain sound a trumpet may give, who shall prepare himself for battle? 9 so 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. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is unmeaning, 11 if, 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; 12 so also ye, since ye are earnestly desirous of spiritual gifts, for the building up of the assembly seek that ye may abound; 13 wherefore he who is speaking in an 'unknown' tongue—let him pray that he may interpret; 14 for if I pray in an 'unknown' tongue, my spirit doth pray, and my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What 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; 16 since, 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? 17 for thou, indeed, dost give thanks well, but the other is not built up! 18 I give thanks to my God—more than you all with tongues speaking— 19 but 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. 20 Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;
(Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-5)
Prophesying, that is, explaining Scripture, is compared with speaking with tongues. This drew attention, more than the plain interpretation of Scripture; it gratified pride more, but promoted the purposes of Christian charity less; it would not equally do good to the souls of men. What cannot be understood, never can edify. No advantage can be reaped from the most excellent discourses, if delivered in language such as the hearers cannot speak or understand. Every ability or possession is valuable in proportion to its usefulness. Even fervent, spiritual affection must be governed by the exercise of the understanding, else men will disgrace the truths they profess to promote.
(Read 1 Corinthians 14:6-14)
Even an apostle could not edify, unless he spoke so as to be understood by his hearers. To speak words that have no meaning to those who hear them, is but speaking into the air. That cannot answer the end of speaking, which has no meaning; in this case, speaker and hearers are barbarians to each other. All religious services should be so performed in Christian assemblies, that all may join in, and profit by them. Language plain and easy to be understood, is the most proper for public worship, and other religious exercises. Every true follower of Christ will rather desire to do good to others, than to get a name for learning or fine speaking.
(Read 1 Corinthians 14:15-25)
There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskilful as to the word of righteousness, but only as to the arts of mischief. It is a proof that a people are forsaken of God, when he gives them up to the rule of those who teach them to worship in another language. They can never be benefitted by such teaching. Yet thus the preachers did who delivered their instructions in an unknown tongue. Would it not make Christianity ridiculous to a heathen, to hear the ministers pray or preach in a language which neither he nor the assembly understood? But if those who minister, plainly interpret Scripture, or preach the great truths and rules of the gospel, a heathen or unlearned person might become a convert to Christianity. His conscience might be touched, the secrets of his heart might be revealed to him, and so he might be brought to confess his guilt, and to own that God was present in the assembly. Scripture truth, plainly and duly taught, has a wonderful power to awaken the conscience and touch the heart.
