unto Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now we know that the Law is good, if a man uses it in the way it should be used,

Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

This charge I commit unto thee, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to thee, that by them thou mayest war the good warfare;

Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander; whom I have delivered to Satan, that they should not be taught to blaspheme.

I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings should be offered for all men,

who desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

which gave himself a ransom for all men, that it should be testified at his time;

Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind].

Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and discreetly in proper clothing, not with [elaborately] braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothes,

A woman should learn in silence with full submission.

But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man [in the assembly], but she should remain quiet.

but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

It is necessary therefore that a bishop should be blameless, a husband of one wife, circumspect, sober, well-behaved, hospitable, apt to teach,

he should be a man who rules his own household well, and whose children are kept under control and are well-behaved.

He ought not to be a new convert, for fear he should be blinded with pride and come under the same condemnation as the Devil.

But it is necessary that he should have also a good testimony from those without, that he may fall not into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money,

They should keep holding on to the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

And these [prospective deacons] should also first be tested, [and] then they should [be appointed to] serve [as deacons] if they are found to be above reproach.

Women [i.e., probably the deacons' wives], in the same way, should be serious-minded [i.e., dignified], not gossips, [but] sober-minded [see verse 2] and trustworthy in everything.

Deacons should be husbands of one wife, managing their children and their own family affairs well.

But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

For everything created by God is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

But you should have nothing to do with those worldly myths [See 1:4] and superstitious tales [often] told by old women. Instead, train yourself for living a godly life.

Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to practice godliness toward their own family first and to repay their parents, for this pleases God.

Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure.

No widow should be placed on the official support list unless she is at least 60 years old, has been the wife of one husband,

and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action.

But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry,

Now at the same time, they also learn to be idle as they go from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies [meddlers in things that do not concern them], talking about things they should not mention.

If any believing woman has widows in her family, she should help them, and the church should not be burdened, so that it can help those who are genuinely widows.

The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

You should rebuke in front of everyone [in the church] those elders who continue to sin, so that the rest [of the congregation] will be afraid [of sinning].

In like manner also the good works [of some] are previously manifest; and it is not possible that what they have besides should be concealed.

All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their own masters as deserving of the highest respect, so that the name of God and our teaching may not be discredited.

Those who have believing masters are not to be disrespectful toward them because they are brothers [in Christ], but they should serve them even better, because those who benefit from their kindly service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these [duties and principles].

But if we have [enough] food and clothing, we will [i.e., should] be content with that.