1st TIMOTHY

Chapter

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4

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6

¤1 °1 From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus by a command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, °2 to Timothy, my true son in the faith.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.

§ False teachers

°3 When I left for Macedonia I urged you to remain in Ephesus to warn certain persons not to teach false doctrine °4 or to concern themselves with fables and endless genealogies. These give rise to discussions rather than promoting a better service of God through faith. °5 The aim of our warning is love which comes from a pure mind, a good conscience and sincere faith.

°6 Some have turned away from such a motivation and have strayed into useless discussions. °7 They claim to be teachers of the Law when, in fact, they understand neither what they say nor the things they speak about.

°8 We know that the Law is good, as long as it serves its purpose. °9 The Law is not for the righteous, but for the lawless and for the wicked and sinful, for those who do not respect God and religion, for those who kill their parents, for murderers, °10 for those who indulge in unlawful sex and homosexuality, for kidnappers and exploiters, for liars and perjurers and for all that is contrary to sound doctrine, °11 to the Gospel of the God of glory and happiness, which was entrusted to me.

°12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who is my strength, who has considered me trustworthy and appointed me to his service, °13 although I had been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rabid enemy. However he took mercy on me because I did not know what I was doing when I opposed the faith; °14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, together with faith and Christian love.

°15 This saying is true and worthy of belief: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. °16 Because of that I was forgiven; Christ Jesus wanted to display his greatness in me so that I might be an example for all who are to believe and obtain eternal life. °17 To the King of ages, the only God who lives beyond every perishable and visible creation – to him be honor and glory forever. Amen!

°18 Timothy, my son, I command you to fight the good fight, fulfilling the prophetic words pronounced over you. °19 Hold onto faith and a good conscience, unlike those who, ignoring conscience, have finally wrecked their faith. °20 Among them are Hymeneus and Alexander whom I have delivered to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

¤2 °1 First of all I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, °2 for rulers of states and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and respect. °3 This is good and pleases God. °4 For he wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. °5 As there is one God, there is one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, °6 who gave his life for the redemption of all. This is the testimony, given in its proper time, °7 and of this, God has made me apostle and herald. I am not lying, I am telling the truth: He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth.

°8 I want the men in every place to lift pure hands in prayer to heaven without anger and dissension.

°9 Let women dress with simplicity and modesty, not adorned with fancy hairstyles, gold, jewels and expensive clothes, °10 but with good works, as is fitting for women serving God. °11 Let a woman quietly receive instruction and be submissive. °12 I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men. Let them be quiet. °13 For Adam was created first and then Eve. °14 Adam was not deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and fell into sin. °15 But she will be saved through motherhood, provided that her life be orderly and holy, in faith and love.

§ Regarding overseers and deacons

¤3 °1 If someone aspires to the over seer’s ministry, he is without a doubt looking for a noble task. °2 It is necessary that the overseer (or bishop) be beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, responsible, judicious, of good manners, hospitable and skillful in teaching. °3 He must not be addicted to wine or quarrelsome, but gentle and peaceful, and not a lover of money, °4 but a man whose household is well-managed, with obedient and well-mannered children. °5 If he cannot govern his own house, how can he lead the assembly of God?

°6 He must not be a recent convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the same condemnation as the devil. °7 Moreover he must enjoy a good reputation among the outsiders, lest people speak evil about him and he fall into the snare of the devil.

°8 Deacons, likewise, must be serious and sincere and moderate in drinking wine, not greedy for money, °9 they must keep the mystery of faith with a clear conscience. °10 Let them be first tried and, if found blameless, be accepted as deacons. °11 In the same way the women must be conscientious, not given to gossip, but reserved and trustworthy.

°12 A deacon must be husband of one wife, and must know how to guide his children and manage his household. °13 Those who serve well as deacons will win honorable rank, with authority to speak of Christian faith.

°14 I give you these instructions, although I hope I will see you soon. °15 If I delay, you will know how you ought to conduct yourself in the household of God, that is, the Church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. °16 How great indeed is the mystery of divine blessing!

He was shown in the flesh

and sanctified by the Spirit;

presented to the angels

and proclaimed to all nations.

The world believed in him:

He was taken up in glory!

¤4 °1 The Spirit tells us clearly that in the last days some will defect from the faith and follow deceitful spirits and devilish doctrines, °2 led by lying hypocrites whose conscience has been branded with the stamp of infamy.

°3 These persons forbid marriage and condemn the use of certain foods which God created for those who know the truth, and which the believers receive with thanksgiving. °4 Everything created by God is good, and all food is lawful; nothing is to be rejected if we receive it with thanksgiving, °5 for it is blessed with the word of God and prayer, and made holy.

°6 If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, you will prove to be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the teachings of faith and the sound doctrine that you have followed. °7 Reject irreligious fables and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness. °8 Physical training is of limited value; godliness, instead, is useful in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the life to come. °9 Here you have a sure doctrine you can trust. °10 We toil and endure because we trust in the living God, the Savior of all, especially of those who believe.

§ Advice to Timothy

°11 Command and teach these things. °12 Let no one reproach you on account of your youth. Be a model to the believers in the way you speak and act, in your love, your faith and purity of life. °13 Devote yourself to reading, preaching and teaching, until I come.

°14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift conferred on you with prophetic words when the elders laid their hands upon you. °15 Think about it and practice it so that your progress may be seen by all. °16 Take care of yourself and attend to your teaching. Be steadfast in doing this and you will save both yourself and your hearers.

§ The widows in the Church

¤5 °1 Do not rebuke an older man; on the contrary, advise him as if he were your father. Treat the young as your brothers, °2 the elder women as mothers and the young girls as your sisters, with great purity.

°3 Take care of widows who are really widows. °4 If a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn their family duties and give their parents financial help. This is correct and pleases God.

°5 A true widow is one who, in being left alone, has set her hope in God, praying day and night to God and asking him for help. °6 On the contrary, a widow who lives as she pleases is dead even while she lives. °7 Warn them about this that they may be blameless. °8 Those who do not take care of their own, especially those of their household, have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers.

°9 Let no one be put on the list of widows unless she is sixty years old and has been married only once. °10 She must be commended for her good works and the education of her children. Has she offered hospitality to and humbly served the saints, helped the suffering and practiced other good deeds?

°11 Do not accept younger widows; they may have other desires than for Christ and want to marry; °12 then they deserve condemnation for breaking their first commitment. °13 Besides they form the habit of being idle, going from house to house. And it is not just idleness! They become gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.

°14 So I want young widows to marry and have children, to rule their household and give adversaries no grounds for criticism. °15 Some have already strayed to follow Satan. °16 If any Christian woman has widows in her family, let her assist them; in this way the church will not be burdened and may assist those who are truly widows.

§ Regarding the presbyters

°17 Let the elders who rule well receive double compensation, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. °18 Scripture says:Do not muzzle the ox while it threshes grain,and:The worker deserves his wages.

°19 Do not accept accusations against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. °20 If he continues to sin, rebuke him in the presence of the community, as a warning to the rest.

°21 I urge you, in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and of the holy angels, to obey these rules with impartiality, without making distinctions. °22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, thus becoming an accomplice in the sins of others. Keep yourself free from blame. °24 The sins of some people are plain to see, even before they are examined; the sins of others are known only later on. °25 Likewise good deeds are conspicuous; even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden.

°23 (Do not drink only water but take a little wine to help your digestion, because of your frequent illness.)

¤6 °1 Let those who are slaves always show respect to their masters, so that no one may speak ill of God and his teaching. °2 Those whose masters are Christians should not show less respect under the pretext that they are members of the church. On the contrary, they must give a better service since they are doing good works on behalf of believers and dear friends.

§ Love of money

Teach and stress these things. °3 Whoever teaches in some other way, not following the sound teaching of our Lord Christ Jesus and true religious instruction, °4 is conceited and understands nothing. This one is crazy about controversies and discussions that result in envy, insults, °5 blows and constant arguments between people of depraved minds and far from the truth. For them, religion is merely for financial gain.

°6 In reality, religion is a treasure if we are content with what we have. °7 We brought nothing into the world and we will leave it with nothing. °8 Let us then be content with having food and clothing. °9 Those who strive to be rich fall into temptations and traps. A lot of foolish and harmful ambitions plunge them into ruin and destruction. °10 Indeed, the love of money is the root of every evil. Because of this greed, some have wandered away from the faith, bringing on themselves afflictions of every kind.

°11 But you, man of God, shun all this. Strive to be holy and godly. Live in faith and love, with endurance and gentleness. °12 Fight the good fight of faith and win everlasting life to which you were called when you made the good profession of faith in the presence of so many witnesses.

°13 Now, in the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who gave the good testimony before Pontius Pilate, °14 I command you to keep the commandment. Keep yourself pure and blameless until the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, °15 which God will bring about at the proper time, he, the magnificent sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords. °16 To him, alone immortal, who lives in unapproachable light and whom no one has ever seen or can see, to him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen!

°17 Command the rich of this world not to be arrogant or to put their trust in the uncertainty of wealth. Let them rather trust in God who generously gives us all we need for our happiness. °18 Let them do good, be rich in good deeds and be generous; let them share with others. °19 In this way, they shall heap up a sound capital for the future and gain true life.

°20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you; avoid useless and profane words, as well as discussions arising from false knowledge. °21 Some have lost the faith in accepting such knowledge.

The grace of God be with you all.

The End