1 Timothy 5
Common English Bible
Caring for God’s family
5 Don’t correct an older man, but encourage him like he’s your father; treat younger men like your brothers, 2 treat older women like your mother, and treat younger women like your sisters with appropriate respect.
3 Take care of widows who are truly needy. 4 But if a particular widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to respect their own family and repay their parents, because this pleases God. 5 A widow who is truly needy and all alone puts her hope in God and keeps on going with requests and prayers, night and day. 6 But a widow who tries to live a life of luxury is dead even while she is alive. 7 Teach these things so that the families[a] will be without fault. 8 But if someone doesn’t provide for their own family, and especially for a member of their household, they have denied the faith. They are worse than those who have no faith.
9 Put a widow on the list who is older than 60 years old and who was faithful to her husband. 10 She should have a reputation for doing good: raising children, providing hospitality to strangers, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in distress, and dedicating herself to every kind of good thing. 11 But don’t accept younger widows for the list. When their physical desires distract them from Christ, they will want to get married. 12 Then they will be judged for setting aside their earlier commitment. 13 Also, they learn to be lazy by going from house to house. They are not only lazy, but they also become gossips and busybodies, talking about things they shouldn’t. 14 So I want younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes so that they won’t give the enemy any reason to slander us. (15 Some have already turned away to follow Satan.) 16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should take care of them and not burden the church, so that it can help other widows who are truly needy.
Instructions for elders
17 Elders who lead well should be paid double, especially those who work with public speaking and teaching. 18 The scripture says, Don’t put a muzzle on an ox while it treads grain,[b] and Workers deserve their pay.[c] 19 Don’t accept an accusation made against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. 20 Discipline those who are sinning in front of everyone so that all the others will be afraid. 21 I charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to follow these practices without bias, and without playing favorites. 22 Don’t rush to commission anyone to leadership, and don’t participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself morally pure.
23 Don’t drink water anymore, but use a little wine because of your stomach problems and your frequent illnesses. 24 The sins of some people are obvious, and the sins are judged before the people must face judgment, but the sins of other people show up later. 25 In the same way, the good that people do is also obvious and can’t be hidden.
Footnotes
1 Timothy 5
New English Translation
Instructions about Specific Groups
5 Do not address an older man harshly[a] but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers,[b] 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters—with complete purity.
3 Honor[c] widows who are truly in need.[d] 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty[e] toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them.[f] For this is what pleases God.[g] 5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own,[h] has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day. 6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even[i] while she lives. 7 Reinforce[j] these commands,[k] so that they will be beyond reproach. 8 But if someone does not provide for his own,[l] especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 No widow should be put on the list[m] unless[n] she is at least sixty years old, was the wife of one husband,[o] 10 and has a reputation for good works: as one who has raised children,[p] practiced hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, helped those in distress—as one who has exhibited all kinds of good works.[q] 11 But do not accept younger widows on the list,[r] because their passions may lead them away from Christ[s] and they will desire to marry, 12 and so incur judgment for breaking their former pledge.[t] 13 And besides that, going around[u] from house to house they learn to be lazy,[v] and they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things they should not.[w] 14 So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us.[x] 15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan.[y] 16 If a believing woman[z] has widows in her family,[aa] let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need.[ab]
17 Elders who provide effective leadership[ac] must be counted worthy[ad] of double honor,[ae] especially those who work hard in speaking[af] and teaching. 18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”[ag] and, “The worker deserves his pay.”[ah] 19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses.[ai] 20 Those guilty of sin[aj] must be rebuked[ak] before all,[al] as a warning to the rest.[am] 21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind.[an] 22 Do not lay hands on anyone[ao] hastily and so identify with the sins of others.[ap] Keep yourself pure. 23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion[aq] and your frequent illnesses.)[ar] 24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.[as] 25 Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 5:1 tn Or “Do not speak harshly to an older man.”
- 1 Timothy 5:1 tn No verb “speak” is stated in this clause, but it continues the sense of the preceding.
- 1 Timothy 5:3 sn The word honor here carries the double meaning of respect and financial support. This Greek word can imply both senses, and both are intended in this context.
- 1 Timothy 5:3 tn Grk “the real widows,” “those who are really widows.”
- 1 Timothy 5:4 tn Or “to practice their religion.”
- 1 Timothy 5:4 tn Or “and so make some repayment to their parents”; Grk “and to give back recompense to their parents.”
- 1 Timothy 5:4 tn Grk “for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”
- 1 Timothy 5:5 tn Or “left all alone.”
- 1 Timothy 5:6 tn For “is dead even” the Greek text reads “has died.”
- 1 Timothy 5:7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- 1 Timothy 5:7 tn Grk “and command these things.”
- 1 Timothy 5:8 tn That is, “his own relatives.”
- 1 Timothy 5:9 sn This list was an official enrollment, apparently with a formal pledge to continue as a widow and serve the Lord in that way (cf. v. 12). It was either (1) the list of “true widows” who were given support by the church or (2) a smaller group of older women among the supported widows who were qualified for special service (perhaps to orphans, other widows, the sick, etc.). Most commentators understand it to be the former, since a special group is not indicated clearly. See G. W. Knight, Pastoral Epistles, 222-23 for discussion.
- 1 Timothy 5:9 tn Grk “let a widow be enrolled if she has reached not less than sixty years.”
- 1 Timothy 5:9 tn Or “a woman married only once,” “was devoted solely to her husband” (see the note on “wife” in 1 Tim 3:2; also 1 Tim 3:12; Titus 1:6).
- 1 Timothy 5:10 tn Grk “if she raised children.” The phrase “if she raised children” begins a series of conditional clauses running to the end of the verse. These provide specific examples of her good works (v. 10a).
- 1 Timothy 5:10 tn Grk “followed after every good work.”
- 1 Timothy 5:11 tn Grk “refuse younger widows.”
- 1 Timothy 5:11 tn With a single verb and object, this clause means “pursue sensuous desires in opposition to Christ.”
- 1 Timothy 5:12 tn Grk “incurring judgment because they reject their first faith.”sn The pledge refers most likely to a vow not to remarry undertaken when a widow is put on the list (cf. 1 Tim 5:9).
- 1 Timothy 5:13 tn L&N 15.23 suggests the meaning, “to move about from place to place, with significant changes in direction—‘to travel about, to wander about.’”
- 1 Timothy 5:13 tn Or “idle.” The whole clause (“going around from house to house, they learn to be lazy”) reverses the order of the Greek. The present participle περιερχόμεναι (perierchomenai) may be taken as temporal (“while going around”), instrumental (“by going around”) or result (“with the result that they go around”).
- 1 Timothy 5:13 tn Grk “saying the things that are unnecessary.” Or perhaps “talking about things that are none of their business.”
- 1 Timothy 5:14 tn Grk “for the sake of reviling.”
- 1 Timothy 5:15 tn Grk “wandered away after Satan.”
- 1 Timothy 5:16 tc Most witnesses (D Ψ 1175 1241 1505 M al sy) have πιστὸς ἤ (pistos ē) before πιστή (pistē), with the resultant meaning “if a believing man or woman.” But such looks to be a motivated reading, perhaps to bring some parity to the responsibilities of men and women listed here, and as a way of harmonizing with v. 4. Further, most of the earlier and better witnesses (א A C F G P 048 33 81 1739 1881 co) lack the πιστὸς ἤ, strengthening the preference for the shorter reading.
- 1 Timothy 5:16 tn Grk “has widows.”
- 1 Timothy 5:16 tn Grk “the real widows,” “those who are really widows.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Grk “who lead well.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Or “deserving.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Like the similar use of “honor” in v. 3, this phrase denotes both respect and remuneration: “honor plus honorarium.”
- 1 Timothy 5:17 tn Or “in preaching”; Grk “in word.”
- 1 Timothy 5:18 sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.
- 1 Timothy 5:18 sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.
- 1 Timothy 5:19 sn An allusion to Deut 17:6; 19:15.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn “Before all” probably refers to the whole congregation, not just all the elders; “the rest” is more likely to denote the remaining elders.
- 1 Timothy 5:20 tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”
- 1 Timothy 5:21 tn Grk “doing nothing according to partiality.”
- 1 Timothy 5:22 tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.
- 1 Timothy 5:22 tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”
- 1 Timothy 5:23 tn Grk “for the sake of your stomach.”
- 1 Timothy 5:23 sn This verse gives parenthetical advice to Timothy, to clarify what it means to keep pure (5:22c). Verse 24 resumes the instructions about elders.
- 1 Timothy 5:24 tn Grk “they [the sins] follow after others.”
提摩太前书 5
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
如何处事待人
5 不要严厉责备老年人，却要劝他好象劝父亲；劝青年人好象劝弟兄； 2 劝年老的妇人好象劝母亲；存着纯洁的心，劝青年女子好象劝姊妹。
3 要敬重供养那些无依无靠的寡妇。 4 寡妇若有儿孙，就应当让儿孙先在自己家里学习孝道，报答亲恩，因为这在 神面前是蒙悦纳的。 5 那无依无靠独居的寡妇，她们仰望 神，昼夜不住地祈求祷告。 6 寡妇若奢侈宴乐，虽然活着也是死的。 7 这些事你要嘱咐她们，使她们无可指摘。 8 人若不看顾自己的人，尤其不看顾自己一家的人，就是背弃信仰，比不信的人还坏。 9 寡妇登记，年纪必须到达六十岁，只作过一个丈夫的妻子， 10 并且要有善行的见证：就如养育儿女，接待客旅，替圣徒洗脚，救济困苦的人，尽力行各样的善事等。 11 至于年轻的寡妇，不要给她们登记，因为她们一旦情欲冲动而背弃基督的时候，就想结婚。 12 她们被定罪，是因为丢弃了起初的信誓。 13 同时，她们懒惰惯了，挨家闲游；不但懒惰，而且好说闲话，好管闲事，说不该说的话。 14 因此，我愿年轻的寡妇结婚，生儿育女，管理家务，不给敌人有辱骂的机会； 15 因为有些人已经转去跟从撒但了。 16 如果信主的妇女家中有寡妇，她就应该救济她们，不要让教会受累。这样，教会就可以救济那些无依无靠的寡妇了。
17 那些善于治理教会的长老，尤其是那些在讲道和教导上劳苦的长老，你们应当看他们是配受加倍的敬重和供奉的。 18 因为经上说：“牛踹谷的时候，不可笼住牠的嘴。”又说：“作工的配得工价。” 19 控诉长老的事，除非有两三个证人，否则不要受理。 20 常常犯罪的，你要当众责备他们，使其余的人也有所惧怕。 21 我在 神和基督耶稣以及蒙拣选的天使面前叮嘱你，要毫无成见地持守这些话，行事也不要偏心。 22 不要匆匆忙忙地替别人按手，也不要在别人的罪上有分，要保守自己清洁。 23 因为你的胃不好，而且身体常常软弱，不要单单喝水，可以稍微用点酒。
24 有些人的罪是明显的，就先受审判；有些人的罪是后来才显露出来的。 25 照样，善行也是明显的，就算不明显，也不能隐藏。
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