1 Timothy
TIMOTHY
Misleadings in Doctrine and Living
1 Paul, aan apostle of bChrist Jesus caccording to the commandment of cGod our Savior, and of bChrist Jesus, who is our dhope,
2 To aTimothy, amy true child in the faith: bGrace, mercy and peace from God the Father and cChrist Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you 1upon my departure for aMacedonia, 2remain on at bEphesus so that you may instruct certain men not to cteach strange doctrines,
4 nor to 1pay attention to amyths and endless bgenealogies, which give rise to mere cspeculation rather than dfurthering 2the administration of God which is by faith.
5 But the goal of our 1ainstruction is love bfrom a pure heart and a cgood conscience and a sincere dfaith.
6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to afruitless discussion,
7 awanting to be bteachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
8 But we know that athe Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
9 realizing the fact that alaw is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and brebellious, for the cungodly and sinners, for the unholy and dprofane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers
10 1and 2aimmoral men 1and bhomosexuals 1and ckidnappers 1and dliars 1and eperjurers, and whatever else is contrary to fsound teaching,
11 according to athe glorious gospel of bthe blessed God, with which I have been centrusted.
12 I thank aChrist Jesus our Lord, who has bstrengthened me, because He considered me faithful, cputting me into service,
13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a apersecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was bshown mercy because cI acted ignorantly in unbelief;
14 and the agrace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the bfaith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
15 aIt is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that bChrist Jesus came into the world to csave sinners, among whom dI am foremost of all.
16 Yet for this reason I afound mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might bdemonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those 1who would believe in Him for eternal life.
17 Now to the aKing 1eternal, bimmortal, cinvisible, the donly God, ebe honor and glory 2forever and ever. Amen.
18 This acommand I entrust to you, Timothy, bmy 1son, in accordance with the cprophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you dfight the good fight,
19 keeping afaith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to 1btheir faith.
20 1Among these are aHymenaeus and bAlexander, whom I have chanded over to Satan, so that they will be dtaught not to blaspheme.
1 First of all, then, I urge that aentreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 afor kings and all who are in 1authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and 2dignity.
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of aGod our Savior,
4 awho desires all men to be bsaved and to ccome to the 1knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is aone God, and bone mediator also between God and men, the cman Christ Jesus,
6 who agave Himself as a ransom for all, the btestimony 1given at 2cthe proper time.
7 aFor this I was appointed a 1preacher and ban apostle (cI am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of dthe Gentiles in faith and truth.
8 Therefore aI want the men bin every place to pray, clifting up dholy hands, without wrath and dissension.
9 Likewise, I want awomen to adorn themselves with proper clothing, 1modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
11 aA woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.
12 aBut I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
13 aFor it was Adam who was first 1created, and then Eve.
14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but athe woman being deceived, 1fell into transgression.
15 But women will be 1preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in afaith and love and sanctity with 2self-restraint.
1 aIt is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the boffice of 1overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.
2 1aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, bthe husband of one wife, ctemperate, prudent, respectable, dhospitable, eable to teach,
3 anot addicted to wine 1or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, bfree from the love of money.
4 He must be one who amanages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of athe church of God?),
6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become aconceited and fall into the bcondemnation 1incurred by the devil.
7 And he must ahave a good reputation with bthose outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and cthe snare of the devil.
8 aDeacons likewise must be men of dignity, not 1double-tongued, 2bor addicted to much wine 2cor fond of sordid gain,
9 abut holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
10 aThese men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.
11 1Women must likewise be dignified, anot malicious gossips, but btemperate, faithful in all things.
12 aDeacons must be bhusbands of only one wife, and 1cgood managers of their children and their own households.
13 For those who have served well as deacons aobtain for themselves a 1high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;
15 but 1in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how 2one ought to conduct himself in athe household of God, which is the bchurch of cthe living God, the dpillar and support of the truth.
16 By common confession, great is athe mystery of godliness:
He who was brevealed in the flesh,
Was 1cvindicated 2in the Spirit,
dSeen by angels,
eProclaimed among the nations,
fBelieved on in the world,
gTaken up in glory.
1 But athe Spirit explicitly says that bin later times some will 1fall away from the faith, paying attention to cdeceitful spirits and ddoctrines of demons,
2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars aseared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3 men who aforbid marriage and advocate babstaining from foods which cGod has created to be dgratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For aeverything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is breceived with gratitude;
5 for it is sanctified by means of athe word of God and prayer.
6 In pointing out these things to athe brethren, you will be a good bservant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the 1csound doctrine which you dhave been following.
7 But 1have nothing to do with aworldly bfables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of cgodliness;
8 for abodily discipline is only of little profit, but bgodliness is profitable for all things, since it cholds promise for the dpresent life and also for the life to come.
9 aIt is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.
10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed aour hope on bthe living God, who is cthe Savior of all men, especially of believers.
11 1aPrescribe and teach these things.
12 aLet no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, blove, faith and purity, show yourself can example 1of those who believe.
13 aUntil I come, give attention to the public breading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.
14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through aprophetic utterance with bthe laying on of hands by the 1cpresbytery.
15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
16 aPay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will 1bensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
1 aDo not sharply rebuke an bolder man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to cthe younger men as brothers,
2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.
3 Honor widows who are awidows indeed;
4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, athey must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to 1make some return to their parents; for this is bacceptable in the sight of God.
5 Now she who is a awidow indeed and who has been left alone, bhas fixed her hope on God and continues in centreaties and prayers night and day.
6 But she who agives herself to wanton pleasure is bdead even while she lives.
7 1aPrescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach.
8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has adenied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 A widow is to be aput on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been bthe wife of one man,
10 having a reputation for agood works; and if she has brought up children, if she has bshown hospitality to strangers, if she chas washed the 1saints’ feet, if she has dassisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.
11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel asensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married,
12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous 1pledge.
13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also agossips and bbusybodies, talking about cthings not proper to mention.