¹² But a ^[a]hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ^(A)leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[a]does not slumber.

¹⁶ For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in ^(A)pieces.

⁷ For a ^[a]bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, ^(A)not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,

² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: ^(A)“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ^3 (B)You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you ^(C)slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. ^4 (D)The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor ^(E)sought what was lost; but with ^(F)force and ^[a]cruelty you have ruled them. ^5 (G)So they were ^(H)scattered because there was no shepherd; ^(I)and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. ⁶ My sheep ^(J)wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

^2 (A)Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, ^(B)not by compulsion but ^[a]willingly, ^(C)not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

¹⁰ for ^(A)Demas has forsaken me, ^(B)having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

Qualifications of Deacons

⁸ Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, ^(A)not given to much wine, not greedy for money,

³ not ^[a]given to wine, not violent, ^[b]not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not ^[c]covetous;