1 Timothy 3
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Overseers Must Be Above Reproach
3 The saying is trustworthy— if anyone aspires-to the office-of-overseer, he desires a good work. 2 Therefore the overseer must be above-reproach[a], a man of one woman[b], sober[c], sound-minded[d], respectable[e], hospitable, skillful-at-teaching, 3 not a drunken[f] one, not a brawler[g], but kind, non-quarrelsome[h], not-a-money-lover, 4 leading his own household well[i], having children in submission, with all dignity (5 but if one does not know-how to lead his own household, how will he take-care-of a church of God?), 6 not a new-convert, in order that he may not fall into the judgment of [j] the devil, having become conceited[k]. 7 And he must also have a good testimony from the ones outside, in order that he may not fall into reproach and a snare of the devil.
Deacons Must Be Honorable And Tested
8 Deacons similarly must be honorable[l], not double-tongued[m], not paying-attention-to[n] much wine, not fond-of-shameful-gain, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a clean conscience. 10 And let these also first be tested, then let them be serving[o], being blameless. 11 Their wives[p] similarly must be honorable, not slanderous, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be men of one woman, leading their children and their own households well. 13 For the ones having served well obtain for themselves a good standing[q] and great confidence[r] in their[s] faith in Christ Jesus.
I Am Writing So You Will Know How To Conduct Yourself In The Church
14 I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you quickly, 15 but in-case I am slow[t], in order that you may know how you ought-to conduct-yourself [u] in the household of God— which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support[v] of the truth.
God Was Revealed In The Flesh, But Some Will Depart From The Faith And Good Teaching
16 And the mystery of godliness is confessedly great: Who[w] was revealed[x] in the flesh, was declared-righteous[y] in the spirit[z]; was seen[aa] by messengers[ab], was proclaimed among the nations; was believed in the world, was taken-up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or, without blame, beyond criticism.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or, husband of one wife. Some think this refers in some sense to marital status; others, to marital fidelity.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 That is, sober in judgment, serious.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or, prudent, moderate, self-controlled.
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or, well-ordered, as in 2:9; honorable.
- 1 Timothy 3:3 That is, known for drunken behavior and exhibitions.
- 1 Timothy 3:3 Or, belligerent, combative.
- 1 Timothy 3:3 Or, peaceable.
- 1 Timothy 3:4 Or, commendably.
- 1 Timothy 3:6 That is, the kind of judgment made by the devil, a judgmental spirit; or, the condemnation pronounced upon the devil.
- 1 Timothy 3:6 Or, clouded with pride.
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Or, worthy of respect, dignified.
- 1 Timothy 3:8 That is, insincere.
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Or, devoting-themselves-to, and thus, being addicted to.
- 1 Timothy 3:10 Or, serving-as-deacons.
- 1 Timothy 3:11 Their wives. Or, Women deacons.
- 1 Timothy 3:13 Or, rank, degree of respect.
- 1 Timothy 3:13 Or, boldness.
- 1 Timothy 3:13 Or, in the faith which is in.
- 1 Timothy 3:15 That is, choose to proceed slowly.
- 1 Timothy 3:15 Or, behave, live.
- 1 Timothy 3:15 Or, mainstay, foundation.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Some manuscripts say ‘God’.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, appeared.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, vindicated, proved-righteous.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, in His spirit; or, by the Spirit.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, appeared to.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or, angels, if heavenly messengers are in view.
1 Timothy 3
English Standard Version
Qualifications for Overseers
3 The saying is (A)trustworthy: If anyone aspires to (B)the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 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, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but (H)gentle, not quarrelsome, (I)not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity (J)keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for (K)God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may (L)become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 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.
Qualifications for Deacons
8 (O)Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] (P)not addicted to much wine, (Q)not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must (R)hold the mystery of the faith with (S)a clear conscience. 10 And (T)let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 (U)Their wives likewise[d] must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, (V)faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be (W)the husband of one wife, (X)managing their children and their own households well. 13 For (Y)those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
The Mystery of Godliness
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
(Z)He[e] was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated[f] by the Spirit,[g]
(AA)seen by angels,
(AB)proclaimed among the nations,
(AC)believed on in the world,
(AD)taken up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or bishop; Greek episkopos; a similar term occurs in verse 1
- 1 Timothy 3:2 Or a man of one woman; also verse 12
- 1 Timothy 3:8 Or devious in speech
- 1 Timothy 3:11 Or Wives likewise, or Women likewise
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Greek Who; some manuscripts God; others Which
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or justified
- 1 Timothy 3:16 Or vindicated in spirit
1 Timothy 3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 3[a]
Qualifications of Bishops. This saying can be trusted: Whoever wants to be a bishop desires a noble task. 2 Therefore, a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of only one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, and a good teacher. 3 He must not be a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not prone to quarreling, not greedy.4 He must manage his own household well and ensure that his children are submissive and respectful in every way. 5 For if someone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of the Church of God? 6 He should not be a recent convert so that he will not become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. 7 He must also enjoy a good reputation among outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s snare.
Qualifications of Deacons. 8 Similarly, deacons must exhibit a sense of dignity, not indulging in double-talk or excessive consumption of wine, and not being greedy. 9 They must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 Let them first be tested. They can be appointed as deacons only if they are beyond reproach.
11 Women[b] must likewise exhibit a sense of dignity and not be given to spreading slander. They must be temperate and faithful in all things.
12 Deacons must have only one wife and be able to manage their children and their own households. 13 Those deacons whose work is exemplary will achieve a high standing and gain great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
14 Greatness of the Divine Majesty. While I am hoping to come to you soon, I am writing to you about these matters 15 so that if I am delayed, you will know how to regulate your conduct in God’s household—that is, in the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:
He was made visible in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,[c]
seen by angels,
proclaimed to the Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 3:1 Christian communities have multiplied and grown; the Church needs organization. Bishops (“overseers”) or presbyters (“elders”) preach, lead liturgical meetings, and govern the local Churches under the more or less close supervision of the Apostle or his delegates (Timothy at Ephesus, Titus in Crete). These authorities, who are carefully chosen, are aided by deacons, who are appointed to help the apostles in material matters (see Acts 6:1-6) and also in their missionary work (see Acts 8:5-13, 38): to take upon themselves the management of the organization and to bring help to the poor and the sick. It seems that some women, too, may have had similar tasks (v. 11; see Rom 16:1).
1
Thus, Paul sketches a hierarchy of the Church. To serve the Church, Paul demands solid human qualities on the part of candidates. People cannot proclaim the mystery of faith, i.e., announce that God saves the world through Jesus Christ, unless they live that faith. A fragment from a hymn of the time is used to celebrate this mystery: Incarnation, Resurrection, Mission, Ascension. - 1 Timothy 3:11 Women: this word could refer either to women deacons or to women who were the wives of deacons. Scholars usually opt for the first reference since there is no possessive (e.g., “their”) and since they are introduced by the same word as in v. 8 (“similarly . . . likewise”), indicating that women too could possess the ministry of deacon. See note on Rom 16:1, in which verse Paul sends greetings to “our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae.”
- 1 Timothy 3:16 He was . . . vindicated by the Spirit: the holiness and divinity of Christ were made known in the Resurrection (see Rom 1:4). These six lines are regarded as a fragment of a hymn of the time.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
