Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁹ A widow who is over sixty years old, may be chosen to help the church people. But she must have been the wife of one husband.

¹⁰ People must speak well of the good works she has done. Has she brought up children? Has she been kind to strangers and cared for them in her house? Has she washed the feet of God's people? Has she helped people who were in trouble? Has she done every kind of good thing to help people?

¹¹ But do not choose young women. When they begin to love other things more than Christ, they will want to marry again.

¹² And that will be wrong for them because they have not kept their first promise.

¹³ Not only that, but they also become lazy. They walk about going from house to house. Not only are they lazy but they talk too much and tell stories about people. They tell things they should not tell.

¹⁴ So I would like young women to marry again and have children. They should care for their homes. They should do nothing that would make the enemy say wrong things about them.

¹⁵ Some have already turned away to follow Satan.

¹⁶ Do any Christians have in their families women whose husbands are dead? If they do, they should help them. The church people should not have to care for them. Then the church can help the women who have no one to help them.