1 Timothy 3
King James Version
3 This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One 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?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For 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.
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But 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.
16 And 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.
1 Timothy 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Qualifications of Church Leaders
3 This saying is trustworthy:[a](A) “If anyone aspires to be an overseer,(B) he desires a noble work.” 2 An overseer,(C) therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible,(D) respectable, hospitable,(E) an able teacher,[b] 3 not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy(F)— 4 one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil.(G) 7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s(H) trap.
8 Deacons,(I) likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith(J) with a clear conscience.(K) 10 And they must also be tested first; if they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons. 11 Wives,(L) too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled,(M) faithful in everything. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own households competently. 13 For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves, and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Godliness
14 I write these things to you, hoping to come(N) to you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household,(O) which is the church of the living God,(P) the pillar and foundation of the truth.(Q) 16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness(R) is great:
He[c] was manifested in the flesh,(S)
vindicated in the Spirit,(T)
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed(U) on in the world,
taken up in glory.(V)
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:1 “This saying is trustworthy” could refer to 1Tm 2:15.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or hospitable, skillful in teaching
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Other mss read God
1 Timothy 3
American Standard Version
3 [a]Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 The [b]bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 [c]no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money; 4 one 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?) 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the [d]condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless. 11 Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; 15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know [e]how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and [f]ground of the truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness;
[g]He who was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached among the [h]nations,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:1 Some connect the words Faithful is the saying with the preceding paragraph.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or, overseer
- 1 Timothy 3:3 Or, not quarrelsome over wine
- 1 Timothy 3:6 Greek judgment.
- 1 Timothy 3:15 Or, how thou oughtest to behave thyself
- 1 Timothy 3:15 Or, stay
- 1 Timothy 3:16 The word God, in place of He who, rests on no sufficient ancient evidence. Some ancient authorities read which.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, Gentiles
1 Timothy 3
Revised Standard Version
Qualifications of Bishops
3 The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop, he desires a noble task. 2 Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher, 3 no drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and no lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way; 5 for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil;[a] 7 moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.[b]
Qualifications of Deacons
8 Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain; 9 they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons. 11 The women likewise must be serious, no slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well; 13 for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Our Religion
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion:
He[c] was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated[d] in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:6 Or slanderer
- 1 Timothy 3:7 Or slanderer
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Greek Who; other ancient authorities read God; others, Which
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or justified
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.