Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

5 Don’t speak angrily to an older man. But talk to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men like brothers. ² Treat the older women like mothers. And treat the younger women with respect like sisters.

Taking Care of Widows

³ Take care of widows who really need help. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, the first thing they need to learn is this: to show their devotion to God by taking care of their own family. They will be repaying their parents, and this pleases God. ⁵ A widow who really needs help is one who has been left all alone. She trusts God to take care of her. She prays all the time, night and day, and asks God for help. ⁶ But the widow who uses her life to please herself is really dead while she is still living. ⁷ Tell the believers there to take care of their family so that no one can say they are doing wrong. ⁸ Everyone should take care of all their own people. Most important, they should take care of their own family. If they do not do that, then they do not accept what we believe. They are worse than someone who does not even believe in God.

⁹ To be added to your list of widows, a woman must be 60 years old or older. She must have been faithful to her husband.^{[a] 10} She must be known for the good she has done: raising children, welcoming travelers into her home, serving the needs^[b] of God’s people, helping those in trouble, and using her life to do all kinds of good.

¹¹ But don’t put younger widows on that list. When their strong physical needs pull them away from their commitment to Christ, they will want to marry again. ¹² Then they will be guilty of not doing what they first promised to do. ¹³ Also, these younger widows begin to waste their time going from house to house. They also begin to gossip and try to run other people’s lives. They say things they should not say. ¹⁴ So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and take care of their homes. If they do this, our enemy will not have any reason to criticize them. ¹⁵ But some of the younger widows have already turned away to follow Satan.

¹⁶ If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she^[c] should take care of them herself. Then the church will not have that burden and will be able to care for the widows who have no one else to help them.

More About Elders and Other Matters

¹⁷ The elders who lead the church in a good way should receive double honor^[d]—in particular, those who do the work of counseling and teaching. ¹⁸ As the Scriptures say, “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t keep it from eating the grain.”^[e] And the Scriptures also say, “A worker should be given his pay.”^[f]

¹⁹ Don’t listen to someone who accuses an elder. You should listen to them only if there are two or three others who can say what the elder did wrong. ²⁰ Tell those who sin that they are wrong. Do this in front of the whole church so that the others will have a warning.

²¹ Before God and Jesus Christ and the chosen angels, I tell you to make these judgments without any prejudice. Treat every person the same.

²² Think carefully before you lay your hands on anyone to make him an elder. Don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

²³ Timothy, stop drinking only water, and drink a little wine. This will help your stomach, and you will not be sick so often.

²⁴ The sins of some people are easy to see. Their sins show that they will be judged. But the sins of some others are seen only later. ²⁵ It is the same with the good things people do. Some are easy to see. But even if they are not obvious now, none of them will stay hidden forever.

Special Instructions for Slaves

6 All those who are slaves should show full respect to their masters. Then God’s name and our teaching will not be criticized. ² Some slaves have masters who are believers, so they are brothers. Does this mean they should show their masters any less respect? No, they should serve them even better, because they are helping believers, people they should love.

This is what you must teach and tell everyone to do.

False Teaching and True Riches

³ Some people will teach what is false and will not agree with the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will not accept the teaching that produces a life of devotion to God. ⁴ They are proud of what they know, but they understand nothing. They are sick with a love for arguing and fighting about words. And that brings jealousy, quarrels, insults, and evil mistrust. ⁵ They are always making trouble, because they are people whose thinking has been confused. They have lost their understanding of the truth. They think that devotion to God is a way to get rich.

⁶ Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to be very rich, but only if it makes them satisfied with what they have. ⁷ When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. ⁸ So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. ⁹ People who want to be rich bring temptations to themselves. They are caught in a trap. They begin to want many foolish things that will hurt them. These things ruin and destroy people. ¹⁰ The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have turned away from what we believe because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves a lot of pain and sorrow.

Some Things to Remember

¹¹ But you belong to God. So you should stay away from all those things. Always try to do what is right, to be devoted to God, and to have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. ¹² We have to fight to keep our faith. Try as hard as you can to win that fight. Take hold of eternal life. It is the life you were chosen to have when you confessed your faith in Jesus—that wonderful truth that you spoke so openly and that so many people heard. ¹³ Before God and Christ Jesus I give you a command. Jesus is the one who confessed that same wonderful truth when he stood before Pontius Pilate. And God is the one who gives life to everything. Now I tell you this: ¹⁴ Do what you were commanded to do without fault or blame until the time when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ¹⁵ God will make that happen at the right time. God is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. ¹⁶ God is the only one who never dies. He lives in light so bright that people cannot go near it. No one has ever seen him; no one is able to see him. All honor and power belong to him forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ Tell those who are rich to do good—to be rich in good works. And tell them they should be happy to give and ready to share. ¹⁹ By doing this, they will be saving up a treasure for themselves. And that treasure will be a strong foundation on which their future life will be built. They will be able to have the life that is true life.

²⁰ Timothy, God has trusted you with many things. Keep these things safe. Stay away from people who talk about useless things that are not from God and who argue against you with a “knowledge” that is not knowledge at all. ²¹ Some people who claim to have that “knowledge” have gone completely away from what we believe.

God’s grace be with you all.