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Supervisors in God’s household

This saying is reliable: if anyone has a goal to be a supervisor[a] in the church, they want a good thing. So the church’s supervisor must be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse, sober, modest, and honest. They should show hospitality and be skilled at teaching. They shouldn’t be addicted to alcohol or be a bully. Instead, they should be gentle, peaceable, and not greedy. They should manage their own household well—they should see that their children are obedient with complete respect, because if they don’t know how to manage their own household, how can they take care of God’s church? They shouldn’t be new believers so that they won’t become proud and fall under the devil’s spell. They should also have a good reputation with those outside the church so that they won’t be embarrassed and fall into the devil’s trap.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:1 Or bishop, overseer

Qualifications for Overseers

The saying is (A)trustworthy: If anyone aspires to (B)the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore (C)an overseer[a] must be above reproach, (D)the husband of one wife,[b] (E)sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, (F)hospitable, (G)able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but (H)gentle, not quarrelsome, (I)not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity (J)keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for (K)God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may (L)become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by (M)outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into (N)a snare of the devil.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:2 Or bishop; Greek episkopos; a similar term occurs in verse 1
  2. 1 Timothy 3:2 Or a man of one woman; also verse 12

Overseers and Deacons

(A)It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the (B)office of [a]overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. [b](C)An overseer, then, must be above reproach, (D)the husband of one wife, [c](E)temperate, self-controlled, respectable, (F)hospitable, (G)skillful in teaching, (H)not overindulging in wine, not [d]a bully, but gentle, not contentious, (I)free from the love of money. He must be one who (J)manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of (K)the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become (L)conceited and fall into (M)condemnation [e]incurred by the devil. And he must (N)have a good reputation with (O)those outside the church, so that he will not fall into [f]disgrace and (P)the snare of the devil.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 3:1 Or bishop
  2. 1 Timothy 3:2 Lit The
  3. 1 Timothy 3:2 Or level-headed
  4. 1 Timothy 3:3 Or combative
  5. 1 Timothy 3:6 Lit of the devil
  6. 1 Timothy 3:7 Or reproach

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

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Qualifications for Overseers

The saying is trustworthy: if anyone aspires to supervision, he desires a good work. Therefore the overseer must be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, not addicted to wine, not a violent person, but gentle, peaceable, not loving money, managing his own household well, having children in submission with all dignity (but if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), not newly converted, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil. But he must also have a good testimony from those outside, in order that he may not fall into disgrace and the trap of the devil.

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