That is why its name was called ¹  Babel ²  – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

It is written in the law: “By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet not even in this way will they listen to me,” ¹  says the Lord.

And how is it that each one of us hears them ¹  in our own native language? ² 

From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

Come, let’s go down and confuse ¹  their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” ² 

Two sons were born to Eber: the first was named Peleg, for during his lifetime the earth was divided; ¹  his brother’s name was Joktan.

When this sound ¹  occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, ²  because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

and when Paul placed ¹  his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came ²  upon them, and they began to speak ³  in tongues and to prophesy. ⁴ 

Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.

If then I do not know the meaning of a language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.

“I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ¹  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ²  they will come and witness my splendor.

to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues.

So the royal scribes ¹  were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps ²  and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

The king’s scribes were quickly ¹  summoned – in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. ²  They wrote out ³  everything that Mordecai instructed to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia ⁴  – a hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all – to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, and to the Jews according to their own script and their own language.