Προς Τιμοθεον Α΄ 3
1 Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος: “Εἴ τις ἐπισκοπῆς ὀρέγεται, καλοῦ ἔργου ἐπιθυμεῖ.”
This is a faithful saying: If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.
2 Δεῖ οὖν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἀνεπίλημπτον εἶναι, μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρα, νηφάλιον, σώφρονα, κόσμιον, φιλόξενον, διδακτικόν,
The overseer, therefore, must be beyond criticism, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, good at teaching;
3 μὴ πάροινον, μὴ πλήκτην, ἀλλὰ ἐπιεικῆ, ἄμαχον, ἀφιλάργυρον,
not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money;
4 τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου καλῶς προϊστάμενον, τέκνα ἔχοντα ἐν ὑποταγῇ, μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος
one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;
5 (εἰ δέ τις τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου προστῆναι οὐκ οἶδεν, πῶς ἐκκλησίας ˚Θεοῦ ἐπιμελήσεται; )
(but if someone does not know how to manage his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)
6 Μὴ νεόφυτον, ἵνα μὴ τυφωθεὶς, εἰς κρίμα ἐμπέσῃ τοῦ διαβόλου.
not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Δεῖ δὲ καὶ, μαρτυρίαν καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐμπέσῃ, καὶ παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου.
Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into disgrace and the trap of the devil.
8 Διακόνους ὡσαύτως σεμνούς, μὴ διλόγους, μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας, μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς,
Deacons, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not devoted to a lot of wine, not greedy for money;
9 ἔχοντας τὸ μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει.
holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 Καὶ οὗτοι δὲ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν πρῶτον, εἶτα διακονείτωσαν, ἀνέγκλητοι ὄντες.
Let them also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, if they are blamesless.
11 Γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως σεμνάς, μὴ διαβόλους, νηφαλίους, πιστὰς ἐν πᾶσιν.
Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Διάκονοι ἔστωσαν μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρες, τέκνων καλῶς προϊστάμενοι καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων.
Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 Οἱ γὰρ καλῶς διακονήσαντες, βαθμὸν ἑαυτοῖς καλὸν περιποιοῦνται, καὶ πολλὴν παρρησίαν ἐν πίστει τῇ ἐν ˚Χριστῷ ˚Ἰησοῦ.
For those who have served well as deacons gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 Ταῦτά σοι γράφω, ἐλπίζων ἐλθεῖν πρὸς σὲ ἐν τάχει,
These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;
15 ἐὰν δὲ βραδύνω, ἵνα εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ ˚Θεοῦ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία ˚Θεοῦ ζῶντος, στῦλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα τῆς ἀληθείας.
but if I wait long, that you may know how people ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 Καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον: “Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν ˚Πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.”
Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: He was revealed in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
