First of all, then, I exhort that apetitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings, be made for all men, 2 afor kings and all who are in 1authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and 2dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of aGod our Savior, 4 awho desires all men to be bsaved and to ccome to the 1full knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is aone God, and bone mediator also between God and men, the cman Christ Jesus, 6 who agave Himself as a ransom for all, the bwitness for 1cthis proper time. 7 aFor this I was appointed a 1preacher and ban apostle (cI am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of dthe Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 Therefore aI want the men bin every place to pray, clifting up dholy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Instructions for Women
9 Likewise, I want awomen to adorn themselves with proper clothing, with modesty and self-restraint, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women professing godliness. 11 aA woman must learn in quietness, in all submission. 12 aBut I do not 1allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 aFor it was Adam who was first formed, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but athe woman being deceived, 1fell into trespass. 15 But she will be 1saved through the bearing of children, if they continue in afaith and love and sanctification with self-restraint.
Overseers and Deacons
aIt is a trustworthy saying: if any man aspires to the boffice of 1overseer, he desires a good work. 2 1aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, bthe husband of one wife, ctemperate, sensible, respectable, dhospitable, eable to teach, 3 anot addicted to wine 1or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, bfree from the love of money; 4 aleading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of athe church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become aconceited and fall into the bcondemnation of the devil. 7 And he must ahave a good reputation with bthose outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and cthe snare of the devil. 8 aDeacons likewise must be dignified, not 1double-tongued, bnot indulging in much wine, cnot fond of dishonest gain, 9 abut holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 aAnd these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 1Women must likewise be dignified, anot malicious gossips, but btemperate, faithful in all things. 12 aDeacons must be bhusbands of only one wife, cleading their children and their own households well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons aobtain for themselves a 1high standing and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, 15 but 1in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how 2one ought to conduct himself in athe household of God, which is the bchurch of cthe living God, the dpillar and support of the truth. 16 And by common confession, great is athe mystery of godliness:
He who was bmanifested in the flesh,
Was 1cvindicated 2in the Spirit,
dSeen by angels,
eProclaimed among the nations,
fBelieved on in the world,
gTaken up in glory.
Some Will Fall Away
But athe Spirit explicitly says that bin later times some will 1fall away from the faith, paying attention to cdeceitful spirits and ddoctrines of demons, 2 by the hypocrisy of liars, who have been aseared in their own conscience, 3 who aforbid marriage and advocate babstaining from foods which cGod created to be shared in dwith thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For aeverything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is breceived with thanksgiving, 5 for it is sanctified by athe word of God and prayer.
A Good Minister’s Discipline
6 In pointing out these things to athe brothers, you will be a good bservant of Christ Jesus, being nourished on the words of the faith and of the 1csound doctrine which you dhave been following. 7 But refuse agodless bmyths fit only for old women. On the other hand, train yourself for the purpose of cgodliness, 8 for abodily training is only of little profit, but bgodliness is profitable for all things, since it cholds promise for the dpresent life and also for the life to come. 9 aIt is a trustworthy saying and deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed aour hope on bthe living God, who is cthe Savior of all men, especially of believers. 11 aCommand and teach these things. 12 aLet no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself as ba model to those who believe in word, conduct, clove, faith, and purity. 13 aUntil I come, give attention to the public breading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift within you, which was given to you through aprophetic utterance with bthe laying on of hands by the ccouncil of elders. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 aPay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will bsave both yourself and those who hear you.
Honor Widows
aDo not sharply rebuke an bolder man, but rather plead with him as a father, to cthe younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. 3 Honor widows who are awidows indeed, 4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, athey must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to 1make some return to their parents; for this is bacceptable in the sight of God. 5 Now she who is a awidow indeed and who has been left alone, bhas fixed her hope on God and continues in cpetitions and prayers night and day. 6 But she who alives in self-indulgence is bdead even while she lives. 7 aAnd command these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has adenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 9 A widow is to be aput on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been bthe wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for agood works; if she has brought up children, if she has bshown hospitality to strangers, if she chas washed the 1saints’ feet, if she has dassisted those in affliction, if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel asensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous 1pledge. 13 And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house. And not merely idle, but also agossips and bbusybodies, talking about cthings not proper to mention.14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get amarried, bear children, bkeep house, and cgive the enemy no opportunity for reviling, 15 for some ahave already turned aside after bSatan. 16 If any believing woman ahas widows, she must bassist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are cwidows indeed.
Honoring the Elders
17 aThe elders who blead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who clabor 1at preaching the word and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “aYou shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “bThe laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not receive an accusation against an aelder except on the basis of btwo or three witnesses. 20 Those who continue in sin, areprove in the presence of all, bso that the rest also will be fearful. 21 aI solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality. 22 aDo not lay hands upon anyone hastily and 1thereby share bresponsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure. 23 No longer drink water only, but ause a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. 24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins afollow after. 25 So also good works are quite evident, and athose which are otherwise cannot be concealed.
Instructions to Those Who Serve
aAll who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so bthat the name of God and our doctrine will not be 1slandered. 2 But those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are abrothers, but must serve them all the more, because those who 1partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. bTeach and exhort these things. 3 If anyone ateaches a different doctrine and does not 1agree with bsound words—those of our Lord Jesus Christ—and with the doctrine cconforming to godliness, 4 he is aconceited, understanding nothing but 1having a morbid interest in bcontroversial questions and cdisputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between amen of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who bsuppose that 1godliness is a means of gain. 6 aBut godliness actually is a means of bgreat gain, when accompanied by ccontentment. 7 For awe have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we ahave food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 aBut those who want to get rich fall into temptation and ba snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For athe love of money is a root of all 1sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have bwandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, O aman of God, bflee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, cfaith, dlove, 1perseverance, gentleness. 12 aFight the good fight of bfaith. cTake hold of the eternal life dto which you were called, and you made the good econfession in the presence of fmany witnesses. 13 aI charge you in the presence of God, who 1gives life to all things, and of bChrist Jesus, who testified the cgood confession dbefore Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the aappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will 1bring about at athe proper time—He who is bthe blessed and conly Sovereign, dthe King of 2kings and eLord of 3lords, 16 awho alone has immortality and bdwells in unapproachable light, cwhom no man has seen or can see. aTo Him be honor and eternal might! Amen. 17 Command those who are rich in athis present age bnot to be haughty or to cset their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, dwho richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in agood 1works, bto be generous and ready to share, 19 astoring up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may btake hold of that which is life indeed. 20 O aTimothy, guard bwhat has been entrusted to you, turning aside from cgodless and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 which some, while professing, have agone astray 1from bthe faith. cGrace be with 2you.