1 Timothy 3

1 The word [is] faithful: if any one aspires to exercise oversight, he desires a good work.

It is a faithful saying, that if a man desireth the eldership, he desireth a good work.

2 The overseer then must be irreproachable, husband of one wife, sober, discreet, decorous, hospitable, apt to teach;

And an elder ought to be such, that no blame can be found in him; and he should be the husband of one wife, with a vigilant mind, and sober and regular in his habits, and affectionate to strangers, and instructive;

3 not given to excesses from wine, not a striker, but mild, not addicted to contention, not fond of money,

and not a transgressor in regard to wine, and whose hand is not swift to strike; but he should be humble, and not contentious, nor a lover of money;

4 conducting his own house well, having [his] children in subjection with all gravity;

and one that guideth well his own house, and holdeth his children in subjection with all purity.

5 (but if one does not know how to conduct his own house, how shall he take care of the assembly of God?)

For if he knoweth not how to guide his own house well, how can he guide the church of God.

6 not a novice, that he may not, being inflated, fall into [the] fault of the devil.

Neither let him be of recent discipleship; lest he be uplifted, and fall into the condemnation of Satan.

7 But it is necessary that he should have also a good testimony from those without, that he may fall not into reproach and [the] snare of the devil.

And there ought to be good testimony of him from those without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of Satan.

8 Ministers, in like manner, grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not seeking gain by base means,

And so also the deacons should be pure, and not speak double, nor incline to much wine, nor love base gains;

9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

but should hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.

10 And let these be first proved, then let them minister, being without charge [against them].

And let them be first tried, and then let them serve, if they are without blame.

11 [The] women in like manner grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

So also should the wives be chaste and of vigilant minds; and they should be faithful in all things; and they should not be slanderers.

12 Let [the] ministers be husbands of one wife, conducting [their] children and their own houses well:

Let the deacons be such as have each one wife and guide well their children and households.

13 for those who shall have ministered well obtain for themselves a good degree, and much boldness in faith which [is] in Christ Jesus.

For they who serve well as deacons, procure for themselves a good degree, and much boldness in the faith of Jesus the Messiah.

14 These things I write to thee, hoping to come to thee more quickly;

These things I write to thee, while hoping soon to come to thee;

15 but if I delay, in order that thou mayest know how one ought to conduct oneself in God's house, which is [the] assembly of [the] living God, [the] pillar and base of the truth.

but if I should delay, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to conduct thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. The pillar and the foundation of the truth,

16 And confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in [the] Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among [the] nations, has been believed on in [the] world, has been received up in glory.

and truly great, is this mystery of righteousness, which was revealed in the flesh, and justified in the spirit, and seen by angels, and proclaimed among the Gentiles, and believed on in the world, and received up into glory.