| 1 | The saying is true
and
irrefutable: If any man [eagerly] seeks the office of bishop (superintendent, overseer), he desires an excellent task (work). |
| 2 | Now a bishop (superintendent, overseer) must give no grounds for accusation
but
must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, circumspect
and
temperate
and
self-controlled; [he must be] sensible
and
well behaved
and
dignified and lead an orderly (disciplined) life; [he must be] hospitable [showing love for and being a friend to the believers, especially strangers or foreigners, and be] a capable
and
qualified teacher, |
| 3 | Not given to wine, not combative but gentle
and
considerate, not quarrelsome
but
forbearing
and
peaceable, and not a lover of money [insatiable for wealth and ready to obtain it by questionable means]. |
| 4 | He must rule his own household well, keeping his children under control, with true dignity, commanding their respect in every way
and
keeping them respectful. |
| 5 | For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God? |
| 6 | He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind] as the result of pride [be blinded by conceit, and] fall into the condemnation that the devil [once] did. |
| 7 | Furthermore, he must have a good reputation
and
be well thought of by those outside [the church], lest he become involved in slander
and
incur reproach and fall into the devil’s trap. |
| 8 | In like manner the deacons [must be] worthy of respect, not shifty
and
double-talkers
but
sincere in what they say, not given to much wine, not greedy for base gain [craving wealth and resorting to ignoble and dishonest methods of getting it]. |
| 9 | They must possess the mystic secret of the faith [Christian truth as hidden from ungodly men] with a clear conscience. |
| 10 | And let them also be tried
and
investigated
and
proved first; then, if they turn out to be above reproach, let them serve [as deacons]. |
| 11 |
[a][The] women likewise must be worthy of respect
and
serious, not gossipers, but temperate
and
self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things. |
| 12 | Let deacons be the husbands of but one wife, and let them manage [their] children and their own households well. |
| 13 | For those who perform well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and also gain much confidence
and
freedom
and
boldness in the faith which is [founded on and centers] in Christ Jesus. |
| 14 | Although I hope to come to you before long, I am writing these instructions to you so that, |
| 15 | If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth. |
| 16 | And great
and
important
and
weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [
[b]God] was made visible in human flesh, justified
and
vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory. |
Cross references:
-
1 Timothy 3:6 : Isa. 14:12-14.
|