Instructions for the Church

¹bDo not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, cyounger men as brothers, ²older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³Honor widows dwho are truly widows. ⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn eto show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for fthis is pleasing in the sight of God. ⁵She gwho is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and hcontinues in supplications and prayers night and day, ⁶but ishe who is self-indulgent is jdead even while she lives. ⁷kCommand these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. ⁸But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for lmembers of his household, he has mdenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been nthe wife of one husband,1 ¹⁰and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has nshown hospitality, ohas washed the feet of the saints, has pcared for the afflicted, and has qdevoted herself to every good work. ¹¹But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when rtheir passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry ¹²and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. ¹³Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also sgossips and tbusybodies, saying what they should not. ¹⁴So I would have uyounger widows marry, bear children, vmanage their households, and wgive the adversary no occasion for slander. ¹⁵xFor some have already strayed after Satan. ¹⁶If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those ywho are truly widows.

¹⁷Let the elders zwho rule well be considered worthy of adouble honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. ¹⁸For the Scripture says, b“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, c“The laborer deserves his wages.” ¹⁹Do not admit a charge against an elder except don the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁰As for those who persist in sin, erebuke them in the presence of all, fso that the rest may stand in fear. ²¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels gI charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, hdoing nothing from partiality. ²²iDo not be hasty in the jlaying on of hands, nor ktake part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. ²³(No longer drink only water, but luse a little wine mfor the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) ²⁴The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. ²⁵So also good works are conspicuous, and neven those that are not cannot remain hidden.

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¹oLet all who are under a yoke as bondservants1 regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, pso that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. ²Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are qbrothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

rTeach and urge these things. ³If anyone steaches a different doctrine and does not agree with tthe sound2 words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching uthat accords with godliness, ⁴vhe is puffed up with conceit and wunderstands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for xcontroversy and for yquarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵and constant friction among people zwho are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, aimagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶But bgodliness cwith contentment is great gain, ⁷for dwe brought nothing into the world, and3 we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸But eif we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹But fthose who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ginto a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that hplunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of iall kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹But as for you, jO man of God, kflee these things. lPursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹²mFight the good fight of the faith. nTake hold of the eternal life oto which you were called and about which you made pthe good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³qI charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, rwho in his testimony before4 Pontius Pilate made pthe good confession, ¹⁴to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until sthe appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵which he will display tat the proper time—he who is uthe blessed and only Sovereign, vthe King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶wwho alone has immortality, xwho dwells in yunapproachable light, zwhom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷As for the rich in athis present age, charge them bnot to be haughty, nor cto set their hopes on dthe uncertainty of riches, but on God, ewho richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸They are to do good, fto be rich in good works, to be generous and gready to share, ¹⁹thus hstoring up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may itake hold of jthat which is truly life.

²⁰O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. kAvoid the lirreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ²¹for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

mGrace be with you.5

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