1 Timothy 3
1 Faithful is the saying, "If any one is eager to have the oversight of a Church, he desires a noble work."
This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A minister then must be a man of irreproachable character, true to his one wife, temperate, sober-minded, well-behaved, hospitable to strangers, and with a gift for teaching;
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 not a hard drinker nor given to blows; not selfish or quarrelsome or covetous;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 but ruling his own household wisely and well, with children kept under control with true dignity.
One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (If a man does not know how to rule his own household, how shall he have the Church of God given into his care?)
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 He ought not to be a new convert, for fear he should be blinded with pride and come under the same condemnation as the Devil.
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 It is needful also that he bear a good character with people outside the Church, lest he fall into reproach or a snare of the Devil.
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Deacons, in the same way, must be men of serious demeanour, not double-tongued, nor addicted to much wine, nor greedy of base gain,
Likewise [must] the deacons [be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 but holding the secret truths of the faith with a clear conscience.
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And they must also be well-tried men, and when found to be of unblemished character then let them serve as deacons.
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.
11 Deaconesses, in the same way, must be sober-minded women, not slanderers, but in every way temperate and trustworthy.
Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
12 A deacon must be true to his one wife, and rule his children and his own household wisely and well.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For those who have filled the deacon's office wisely and well, are already gaining for themselves an honourable standing, and are acquiring great freedom of speech in proclaiming the faith which rests on Christ Jesus.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 All this I write to you, though I am hoping before long to come to see you.
These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But, for fear I may be hindered, I now write, so that you may have rules to guide you in dealing with God's household. For this is what the Church of the ever-living God is, and it is the pillar and foundation-stone of the truth.
But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And, beyond controversy, great is the mystery of our religion-- that Christ appeared in human form, and His claims justified by the Spirit, was seen by angels and proclaimed among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up again into glory.
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
