1 Timothy — Chapter 3

1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

11Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

12Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

13For 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.

14These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

15But 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.

16And 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.

1Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;

4one that ruleth well his own house, having [his] children in subjection with all gravity;

5(but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8Deacons in like manner [must be] grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless.

11Women in like manner [must be] grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.

12Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling [their] children and their own houses well.

13For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

14These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly;

15but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit, Seen of angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

1This saying is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.”

2The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

3not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money.

4He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.

5But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?

6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become arrogant and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.

7And he must be well thought of by those outside the faith, so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.

8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not two-faced, not given to excessive drinking, not greedy for gain,

9holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

10And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless.

11Likewise also their wives must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect.

12Deacons must be husbands of one wife and good managers of their children and their own households.

13For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you

15in case I am delayed to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.

16And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

1This is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer, he desires a good work.

2The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;

3not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;

4one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;

5(but if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?)

6not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

7Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

8Servants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money;

9holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10Let them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless.

11Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.

12Let servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

13For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

14These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;

15but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

16Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.