Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Human families and God’s family

5 Don’t rebuke a senior man in the church, but exhort him as you might do with your father—or, in the case of younger ones, with your brothers. ² Treat the older women as mothers, and the younger ones as sisters, with all purity.

³ Pay respect to widows who really are widows. ⁴ If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to respect their own family and to make some repayment to those who brought them up. This, you see, pleases God. ⁵ A real widow is one who, left by herself, has set her hope on God, and continues in prayer and supplication night and day; ⁶ but a self-indulgent woman is dead even while she’s alive. ⁷ Give these commands so that they may be beyond blame. ⁸ If anyone doesn’t take care of their own relatives, especially their own household, they have denied the faith; they are worse than unbelievers.

Widows

⁹ Let a woman be registered as a widow if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ with a reputation for good works, having brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of God’s people, helped those who were suffering, and been steadfast in doing good wherever she can. ¹¹ Refuse to register younger widows. When their desires become strong against the Messiah, you see, they will want to marry, ¹² and they will receive condemnation because they have abandoned their earlier faith. ¹³ In addition, they learn the habit of idleness, going around from one house to another, not only wasting their time but gossiping and meddling, saying things they shouldn’t.

¹⁴ So this is my wish: the younger ones should marry, have children, run their households and give the enemy no opportunity to slander us ¹⁵ (some, you see, have already gone off after the satan!) ¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widowed, let her help them, so that the church won’t be burdened. That way, it can help widows who really are widows.

Elders

¹⁷ Elders who are good leaders ought to be paid double, particularly those who work hard in speaking and teaching. ¹⁸ The Bible says, you see, “Don’t muzzle an ox when it’s threshing,” and “the worker deserves his pay.”

¹⁹ Don’t accept an accusation against an elder, unless it is supported “by two or three witnesses.” ²⁰ When people persist in sin, rebuke them openly, so that the rest may be afraid.

²¹ Before God, Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I give you solemn warning to keep these commands without discrimination. Never act out of favoritism. ²² Don’t be too quick to lay hands on anyone; don’t share in other people’s sins. Keep yourself pure.

²³ You should stop confining yourself to drinking water. Use wine (in moderation!). That will be good for your digestion, and for the physical problems you often have.

²⁴ Some people’s sins are obvious, and walk ahead of them into the courtroom. Other people’s follow them there. ²⁵ In the same way, good works are obvious; but, even when they aren’t, they can’t stay hidden forever.

Slaves, masters and sound teaching

6 All who live as slaves, “under the yoke” so to speak, should consider their own masters as worthy of all respect, so that people may not say wicked things against the name of God and the teaching. ² Those who have masters who are also believers should not look down on them because they are brothers, but rather give them service, since those who receive the benefit of their work are beloved fellow believers.

Teach these things, and exhort people to do them. ³ Some people teach other things, and don’t hold firmly to the healthy words of our Lord Messiah Jesus, and the teaching which goes with piety; ⁴ people like that are conceited and have no understanding. They have a diseased craving for disputes and arguments about words. That just leads to envy, jealousy, evil speaking, wicked suspicions ⁵ and irritating arguments among people with depraved minds who have lost their grip on the truth and imagine that godliness is a means of gain.

Godliness and contentment

⁶ If it’s gain you want, though, there is plenty to be had in godliness—if it’s combined with contentment. ⁷ We brought nothing into the world, after all, and we certainly can’t take anything out. ⁸ If we have food and clothing, we should be satisfied with it. ⁹ People who want to be rich, by contrast, fall into temptation and a trap, into many foolish and dangerous lusts which drown people in devastation and destruction. ¹⁰ The love of money, you see, is the root of all evil. Some people have been so eager to get rich that they have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves painfully in several ways.

The Messiah’s royal appearing

¹¹ But you, man of God—you must run away from all this. Instead, chase after justice, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. ¹² Fight the noble fight of the faith, get a firm grasp on the life of the coming age, the life you were called to when you made the noble public profession before many witnesses. ¹³ I give you this charge before God, who gives life to all things, and Messiah Jesus, who made the noble profession before Pontius Pilate: ¹⁴ be undefiled and blameless as you keep the commandment, until the royal appearing of our Lord Messiah Jesus, ¹⁵ which the blessed and only Sovereign One, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at its proper time. ¹⁶ He is the only one who possesses immortality; he lives in unapproachable light; no human being has seen him, or can see him. To him be eternal honor and power, Amen!

What to do with money

¹⁷ What about people who are rich in this present world? Tell them not to think of themselves too highly, and to set their hopes, not on something so uncertain as riches, but on the God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous and eager to share. ¹⁹ That way, they will treasure up for themselves a good foundation for the future, and thereby come to possess the life which really is life.

²⁰ Well then, Timothy: keep guard over what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from the pointless and empty talk and contradictions of what is wrongly called “knowledge.” ²¹ Some have claimed to be experts in it, but have missed the target when it comes to the faith.

Grace be with you all.