¹⁶ If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she^[a] should take care of them herself. Then the church will not have that burden and will be able to care for the widows who have no one else to help them.

More About Elders and Other Matters

¹⁷ The elders who lead the church in a good way should receive double honor^[b]—in particular, those who do the work of counseling and teaching. ¹⁸ As the Scriptures say, “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t keep it from eating the grain.”^[c] And the Scriptures also say, “A worker should be given his pay.”^[d]