^4 (A)he is puffed up with conceit and ^(B)understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for ^(C)controversy and for ^(D)quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

⁴ treacherous, reckless, ^(A)swollen with conceit, ^(B)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant ^(A)controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

A Worker Approved by God

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and ^(A)charge them before God^{[a] (B)}not to quarrel about words, ^(C)which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.

⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may ^(A)become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

^12 (A)But these, like irrational animals, ^(B)creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,

⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, ^(A)without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

⁴ nor ^(A)to devote themselves to myths and endless ^(B)genealogies, which promote ^(C)speculations rather than the stewardship^[a] from God that is by faith.

¹⁶ These are grumblers, malcontents, ^(A)following their own sinful desires; ^(B)they are loud-mouthed boasters, ^(C)showing favoritism to gain advantage.

^10 (A)But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.