⁶ An elder must be blameless,^(A) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^[a] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.

¹² A deacon must be faithful to his wife^(A) and must manage his children and his household well.^(B)

² Now the overseer is to be above reproach,^(A) faithful to his wife,^(B) temperate,^(C) self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,^(D) able to teach,^{(E) 3} not given to drunkenness,^(F) not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,^(G) not a lover of money.^{(H) 4} He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full^[a] respect.^{(I) 5} (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)^{(J) 6} He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited^(K) and fall under the same judgment^(L) as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders,^(M) so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.^(N)

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk^(A) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.^(B)

⁶ An elder must be blameless,^(A) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe^[a] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. ⁷ Since an overseer^(B) manages God’s household,^(C) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.^{(D) 8} Rather, he must be hospitable,^(E) one who loves what is good,^(F) who is self-controlled,^(G) upright, holy and disciplined.

²² They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.^(A)

¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle^(A) and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,^(B) be patient with everyone.

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine,^(A) which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,^(B)

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea^(A) there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;^(B) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.