1 Timothy 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 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, while hoping soon to come to thee;

15 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 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.