Timotheum I 5
1 seniorem ne increpaveris sed obsecra ut patrem iuvenes ut fratres
Do not reprimand an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat the young men as brothers,
2 anus ut matres iuvenculas ut sorores in omni castitate
the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters – with all purity.
3 viduas honora quae vere viduae sunt
Show consideration for widows – I mean those who are really widowed.
4 si qua autem vidua filios aut nepotes habet discant primum domum suam regere et mutuam vicem reddere parentibus hoc enim acceptum est coram Deo
But, if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God’s sight.
5 quae autem vere vidua est et desolata speravit in Deum et instat obsecrationibus et orationibus nocte ac die
As for the woman who is really widowed and left quite alone, her hopes are fixed on God, and she devotes herself to prayers and supplications night and day.
6 nam quae in deliciis est vivens mortua est
But the life of a widow who is devoted to pleasure is a living death.
7 et hoc praecipe ut inreprehensibiles sint
Those are the points you should teach, so that there may be no call for your censure.
8 si quis autem suorum et maxime domesticorum curam non habet fidem negavit et est infideli deterior
Anyone who fails to provide for their own relatives, and especially for those under their own roof, has disowned the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 vidua eligatur non minus sexaginta annorum quae fuerit unius viri uxor
A widow, when her name is added to the list, should not be less than sixty years old; she should have been a faithful wife,
10 in operibus bonis testimonium habens si filios educavit si hospitio recepit si sanctorum pedes lavit si tribulationem patientibus subministravit si omne opus bonum subsecuta est
and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action.
11 adulescentiores autem viduas devita cum enim luxuriatae fuerint in Christo nubere volunt
But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry,
12 habentes damnationem quia primam fidem irritam fecerunt
and so they bring condemnation on themselves for having broken their previous promise.
13 simul autem et otiosae discunt circumire domos non solum otiosae sed et verbosae et curiosae loquentes quae non oportet
And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busybodies, and talk of what they ought not.
14 volo ergo iuveniores nubere filios procreare matres familias esse nullam occasionem dare adversario maledicti gratia
Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal.
15 iam enim quaedam conversae sunt retro Satanan
There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan.
16 si qua fidelis habet viduas subministret illis et non gravetur ecclesia ut his quae vere viduae sunt sufficiat
Any Christian woman, who has relatives who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the church, so that the church may relieve those widows who are really widowed.
17 qui bene praesunt presbyteri duplici honore digni habeantur maxime qui laborant in verbo et doctrina
Those church elders who fill their office well should be held deserving of especial consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching.
18 dicit enim scriptura non infrenabis os bovi trituranti et dignus operarius mercede sua
The words of scripture are – “You should not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain.” and again – “The worker is worth their wages.”
19 adversus presbyterum accusationem noli recipere nisi sub duobus et tribus testibus
Do not entertain a charge against an church elder, unless it is supported by two or three witnesses;
20 peccantes coram omnibus argue ut et ceteri timorem habeant
but rebuke offenders publicly, so that others may take warning.
21 testor coram Deo et Christo Iesu et electis angelis ut haec custodias sine praeiudicio nihil faciens in aliam partem declinando
I charge you solemnly, before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels, to carry out these directions, unswayed by prejudice, never acting with partiality.
22 manus cito nemini inposueris neque communicaveris peccatis alienis te ipsum castum custodi
Never ordain anyone hastily, and take no part in the wrongdoing of others. Keep your life pure.
23 noli adhuc aquam bibere sed vino modico utere propter stomachum tuum et frequentes tuas infirmitates
Do not continue to drink water only, but take a little wine because of the weakness of your stomach, and your frequent ailments.
24 quorundam hominum peccata manifesta sunt praecedentia ad iudicium quosdam autem et subsequuntur
There are some people whose sins are conspicuous and lead on to judgment, while there are others whose sins dog their steps.
25 similiter et facta bona manifesta sunt et quae aliter se habent abscondi non possunt
In the same way noble deeds become conspicuous, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.
