[This letter is from] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope [of never ending life. See Titus 3:7].

But the goal of this instruction is [to] love [God and people] from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Some individuals have wandered away from these things into empty arguments and useless discussions,

knowing this, that law is not laid down for righteous men, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the irreverent and sinful, for the impious and profane, for father killers and mother killers, for man killers,

This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has granted me [the needed] strength and made me able for this, because He considered me faithful and trustworthy, putting me into service [for this ministry],

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

But because of this I obtained mercy, so that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

This is the instruction which I entrust to you, my son Timothy, which is in accordance with the prophetic utterances formerly made about you, that you may, aided by them, continue to fight the good fight,

To do this you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.

Among these people are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered over to Satan [Note: This probably refers to withdrawing fellowship from them. See I Cor. 5:1-5], so that they would learn not to speak against God [anymore].

This then I exhort thee first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings he made for all men;

This is the right thing to do and it pleases God our Saviour,

who gave himself for the redemption of all mankind: this is what was to be promulg'd in due time:

It was for this testimony that I myself was appointed a herald and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), to be a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Therefore, I want the men to pray in every place [i.e., in all worship assemblies. See verses 1-2], lifting up holy hands without being angry or argumentative. [Note: This passage stresses both the physical and spiritual aspects of prayer].

but with good deeds; for this is appropriate for women who profess to be pious.

however the women may be saved by educating their children, and persevering themselves in faith, in charity, in holiness and chastity. this may be depended upon as true.

This is a saying to be trusted: "Whoever aspires to the office of pastor desires an excellent work."

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of [only] one wife, sober-minded [Note: When this word, used here figuratively, is used in its literal sense, it means to abstain from intoxicating drinks], sensible, respectable, hospitable, capable of teaching.

Deacons, in the same way, are to be serious in their behaviour, not false in word, not given to taking much wine or greatly desiring the wealth of this world;

Though I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you this,

But if I am long in coming, this will make clear to you what behaviour is right for men in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of what is true.

And without question the revealed secret of godly living is great. [It is this]: He [i.e., Christ, or God], who appeared in a fleshly body [was] vindicated [of false charges] by the Holy Spirit; [He was] seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world [and finally] was taken up into glory [i.e., heaven].

for in this way it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

If you point this out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, living on the principles of the faith and the excellent teaching you have had.

This is a saying to be trusted and deserves to be accepted by all.

To this end we are toiling and struggling, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers.

This is what you must urge and teach.

Hold firm to thyself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this thou will save both thyself and those who hear thee.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in the treatment of their own families, and to pay the debt they owe their parents or grandparents, for this is acceptable to God.

Give orders to this effect, so that no evil may be said of anyone.

No widow under sixty years of age should be put on this roll. A widow must have had but one husband,

Keep the young widows off this roll, for when they get to indulging their lower nature in opposition to Christ, they want to marry,

Thus, they bring the judgment [for being untrustworthy] on themselves because they have broken their previous pledge. [Note: This probably refers to younger widows who pledged themselves to fulfill some important church activity and then quit suddenly to get married. But some suggest it refers to them leaving the faith and marrying a non-Christian].

At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people's lives, saying things they should not say.

The elders who lead [the church] well should be considered deserving of double honor [Note: This probably refers to financial support in addition to the honor of the office], especially those who work hard at [preaching] the word and at teaching it.

Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited.

Those whose masters are Christian believers must not treat them with disrespect, because they are brothers; nay, rather slave for them the better because those who get the benefit of their services are believing and beloved. Continue to teach and preach this.

If any one deviate from this doctrine, not adhering to the wholesome instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true doctrine of piety,

he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Fight the good battle of the faith; take hold of never ending life, to which you were called [i.e., by the Gospel. See II Thess. 2:14], [when] you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. [Note: This "confession" probably refers to a person's acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord and Christ prior to his immersion. See Acts 2:36; Rom. 10:9-10].

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

For in his own good time this will be brought about by that blessed and only potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords,

Continue charging the rich of this world to stop being haughty and not to fix their hope on a thing so uncertain as riches, but on God who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment;

in this way amassing for themselves the riches that forever endure in the life to come, so that at last they may grasp the life that is life indeed.

by making a profession of this knowledge, some have erred as it respects the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.