1 Timoteus 3
1 Den Tale er troværdig: Dersom nogen begærer en Tilsynsgerning, har han Lyst til en skøn Gerning.
Anyone who aspires to be an elder [in the congregation] (OR, a bishop) desires a noble/honorable task.
2 En Tilsynsmand bør derfor være ulastelig, een Kvindes Mand, ædruelig, sindig, høvisk, gæstfri, dygtig til at lære andre;
[Since that is a task that others should respect], an overseer must [live] in such a way that [no one] can truly (say that he has done [anything that is] wrong/find fault with him). Specifically, [he must be] faithful to his wife. He must think clearly [about what he does]. He must be able to control his behavior. He must be sensible. He must be dignified/respectable. He must welcome and care for guests. He must be able to teach [God’s truth] well.
3 ikke hengiven til Vin, ikke til Slagsmaal, men mild, ikke kivagtig, ikke pengegridsk;
He must not be a drunkard. He must not be ready/quick to fight [those who make him angry]. On the contrary, he must be gentle and he must not be quarrelsome. He must not be greedy for a lot of money.
4 en Mand, som forestaar sit eget Hus vel, som har Børn, der ere lydige med al Ærbarhed;
He must lead and care for his own household/family well. For example, he must be a man whom his children obey and completely respect,
5 (dersom en ikke ved at forestaa sit eget Hus, hvorledes vil han da kunne sørge for Guds Menighed?)
because if anyone does not know how he should lead well and care for well the people who live in his own house, (he certainly cannot care for God’s congregation!/how can he care for God’s congregation?) [RHQ]
6 ikke ny i Troen, for at han ikke skal blive opblæst og falde ind under Djævelens Dom.
He must not be one who has just recently [trusted in Jesus], because [if you choose a man] like that, he might become conceited/proud [because you chose him so soon]. As a result of his being conceited/proud, God will condemn him like he condemned the devil [because he was conceited/proud].
7 Men han bør ogsaa have et godt Vidnesbyrd af dem, som ere udenfor, for at han ikke skal falde i Forhaanelse og Djævelens Snare.
Moreover, [an elder must live] in such a way that non-Christians speak well of him, because [if he conducts himself like] that, people will not say evil things about him, and the devil will not capture/trap him [MET] [like people capture animals] in a trap.
8 Menighedstjenere bør ligeledes være ærbare, ikke tvetungede, ikke hengivne til megen Vin, ikke til slet Vinding,
[Those whom you choose to serve as] deacons likewise [must be ones who conduct themselves suitably/appropriately. Specifically], they must be (serious/worthy that people respect them). They must (be sincere/mean what they say). They must not like to drink a lot of alcohol. They must not (be greedy/have a strong desire to get money).
9 bevarende Troens Hemmelighed i en ren Samvittighed.
They must sincerely believe the message that [God] has now revealed [to us].
10 Men ogsaa disse skulle først prøves, og siden gøre Tjeneste, hvis de ere ustraffelige.
[Like you do for the elders], you must examine ([their character/how they conduct their lives]) [before you appoint them to serve]. Then if they are without fault, let them serve as deacons.
11 Kvinder bør ligeledes være ærbare, ikke bagtaleriske, ædruelige, tro i alle Ting.
Their wives (OR, The women who are deacons) likewise [must conduct themselves suitably/appropriately. Specifically, they must be] (serious/worthy that people respect them). They must not speak evil about people. They must not drink a lot of alcohol. They must be faithful in everything that they do.
12 En Menighedstjener skal være een Kvindes Mand og forestaa sine Børn og sit eget Hus vel.
Deacons must be faithful to their wives, and they must lead well and care well for their children and [other] people in their houses.
13 Thi de, som have tjent vel i Menigheden, de erhverve sig selv en smuk Stilling og megen Frimodighed i Troen paa Kristus Jesus.
Because if deacons serve well, people will respect them, and they will be able [to speak] very boldly/confidently about what they believe concerning Christ Jesus.
14 Disse Ting skriver jeg dig til, ihvorvel jeg haaber at komme snart til dig;
Although I hope that I will come and visit you soon, I am writing these things to you [now]
15 men dersom jeg tøver, da skal du heraf vide, hvorledes man bør færdes i Guds Hus, hvilket jo er den levende Guds Menighed, Sandhedens Søjle og Grundvold.
in order that if I (am delayed/things prevent me from visiting to you soon), you will know how believers should conduct their lives [and you will be able to teach that to them]. [I am talking about] all those who are members of God’s family, all the congregations that belong to the all-powerful God, all those who uphold/support [MET] the true [message].
16 Og uden Modsigelse stor er den Gudsfrygtens Hemmelighed: Han, som blev aabenbaret i Kød, blev retfærdiggjort i Aand, set af Engle, prædiket iblandt Hedninger, troet i Verden, optagen i Herlighed.
It is certainly true that [the message that God] has now revealed is very wonderful! From it, we learn this spiritual truth that we say/sing about [Christ] (OR, We affirm this teaching to be true and very important.) It is what shows us how to live (in a godly manner/in a manner that pleases God). It is what God has now revealed, even though it was not known before. [We] ([affirm/say that it is true]) concerning Jesus Christ that, He is the one who appeared on the earth in a human body. God’s Spirit showed/demonstrated that he is/was truly the Messiah (OR, that he always acted righteously); Angels saw him; people preached about him in many nations; People in many parts of the world believed the message about him. God took him up into heaven.
