1 Timothy 3

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Qualifications of Bishops

3 The saying is sure: If any one aspires to the office of bishop,^[a] 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;^{[b] 7} moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.^[c]

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^[d] 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: