Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Responsibilities toward Believers

5 Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men as your brothers, ² the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity.

³ Show respect for widows who really are all alone. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn first to carry out their religious duties toward their own family and in this way repay their parents and grandparents, because that is what pleases God. ^5 (A)A widow who is all alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God and continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day. ⁶ But a widow who gives herself to pleasure has already died, even though she lives. ⁷ Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them. ⁸ But if any do not take care of their relatives, especially the members of their own family, they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ Do not add any widow to the list of widows unless she is over sixty years of age. In addition, she must have been married only once^{[a] 10} and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for other Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good.

¹¹ But do not include younger widows in the list; because when their desires make them want to marry, they turn away from Christ, ¹² and so become guilty of breaking their earlier promise to him. ¹³ They also learn to waste their time in going around from house to house; but even worse, they learn to be gossips and busybodies, talking of things they should not. ¹⁴ So I would prefer that the younger widows get married, have children, and take care of their homes, so as to give our enemies no chance of speaking evil of us. ¹⁵ For some widows have already turned away to follow Satan. ¹⁶ But if any Christian woman has widows in her family, she must take care of them and not put the burden on the church, so that it may take care of the widows who are all alone.

¹⁷ The elders who do good work as leaders should be considered worthy of receiving double pay, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ^18 (B)For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh grain” and “Workers should be given their pay.” ^19 (C)Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or more witnesses. ²⁰ Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid.

²¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the holy angels I solemnly call upon you to obey these instructions without showing any prejudice or favor to anyone in anything you do. ²² Be in no hurry to lay hands on people to dedicate them to the Lord's service. Take no part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

²³ Do not drink water only, but take a little wine to help your digestion, since you are sick so often.

²⁴ The sins of some people are plain to see, and their sins go ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others are seen only later. ²⁵ In the same way good deeds are plainly seen, and even those that are not so plain cannot be hidden.

6 Those who are slaves must consider their masters worthy of all respect, so that no one will speak evil of the name of God and of our teaching. ² Slaves belonging to Christian masters must not despise them, for they are believers too. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their work are believers whom they love.

False Teaching and True Riches

You must teach and preach these things. ³ Whoever teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the true words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching of our religion ⁴ is swollen with pride and knows nothing. He has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words, and this brings on jealousy, disputes, insults, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant arguments from people whose minds do not function and who no longer have the truth. They think that religion is a way to become rich.

⁶ Well, religion does make us very rich, if we are satisfied with what we have. ⁷ What did we bring into the world? Nothing! What can we take out of the world? Nothing! ⁸ So then, if we have food and clothes, that should be enough for us. ⁹ But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires, which pull them down to ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows.

Personal Instructions

¹¹ But you, man of God, avoid all these things. Strive for righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. ¹² Run your best in the race of faith, and win eternal life for yourself; for it was to this life that God called you when you firmly professed your faith before many witnesses. ^13 (D)Before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who firmly professed his faith before Pontius Pilate, I command you ¹⁴ to obey your orders and keep them faithfully until the Day when our Lord Jesus Christ will appear. ¹⁵ His appearing will be brought about at the right time by God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. ¹⁶ He alone is immortal; he lives in the light that no one can approach. No one has ever seen him; no one can ever see him. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share with others. ¹⁹ In this way they will store up for themselves a treasure which will be a solid foundation for the future. And then they will be able to win the life which is true life.

²⁰ Timothy, keep safe what has been entrusted to your care. Avoid the profane talk and foolish arguments of what some people wrongly call “Knowledge.” ²¹ For some have claimed to possess it, and as a result they have lost the way of faith.

God's grace be with you all.