< 1 Timothy 3 >

1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
This is a trustworthy statement: “If someone aspires to be an elder, this is a good work to want to do.”
2 The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, soberminded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
An elder must be above reproach, married to one wife, self-controlled, well-balanced, sensible, hospitable, and able to teach.
3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;
He should be someone who doesn't get drunk or become violent, but is gentle, and is not argumentative or greedy for money.
4 one that ruleth well his own house, having [his] children in subjection with all gravity;
He must handle his own family well. His children must respect what he tells them to do.
5 (but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
(For if a man doesn't know how to manage his own family, how can he manage God's church?)
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
He should not be a new believer, in case he gets so full of himself he falls under the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
People outside the church should also speak well of him so that he won't disgrace himself and fall into the devil's trap.
8 Deacons in like manner [must be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Similarly deacons should be respected, and not hypocritical. They should not be addicted to drink, and should not be trying to dishonestly enrich themselves.
9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
They must stick to the revealed truth about God, trusting in him with a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless.
They should be tried out first, and if they can't be faulted then let them serve as deacons.
11 Women in like manner [must be] grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
Their wives should be respected too. They should not slander people with gossip, and they should be self-controlled and trustworthy in all they do.
12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling [their] children and their own houses well.
Deacons should be married to one wife, managing their children and their homes well.
13 For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Those who serve well as deacons gain a good reputation and much confidence in their trust in Christ Jesus.
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly;
Even though I hope to see you soon, I'm writing about all this to you so that
15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
if I'm delayed you'll know how people should behave themselves in God's house. This is the church of the living God, the support pillar and foundation of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
There's no question about it: the revealed truth about God is amazing! He was made known to us in human form, he was vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, declared to the nations, trusted in by the world, and taken up in glory!

< 1 Timothy 3 >