1 Timothy 5:3–16

³Honour widows that are widows indeed.

⁴But if any widow have children or grandchildren, let her learn first to govern her own house and to make a return of duty to her parents; for this is acceptable before God.

⁵But she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, let her trust in God and continue in supplications and prayers night and day.

⁶For she that liveth in pleasures is dead while she is living.

⁷And this give in charge, that they may be blameless.

⁸But if any man have not care of his own and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.

⁹Let a widow be chosen of no less than threescore years of age, who hath been the wife of one husband.

¹¹But the younger widows avoid. For when they have grown wanton in Christ, they will marry:

¹²Having damnation, because they have made void their first faith.

¹³And withal being idle they learn to go about from house to house: and are not only idle, but tattlers also and busy bodies, speaking things which they ought not.

¹⁴I will, therefore, that the younger should marry, bear children, be mistresses of families, give no occasion to the adversary to speak evil.

¹⁵For some are already turned aside after Satan.

¹⁶If any of the faithful have widows, let him minister to them, and let not the church be charged: that there may be sufficient for them that are widows indeed.