^aThis is a faithful and trustworthy saying: if any man eagerly seeks the ^boffice of ¹overseer (bishop, superintendent) , he desires an excellent task. 2 Now ^aan overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, ^bthe husband of one wife, ^cself-controlled, sensible, respectable, ^dhospitable, ^eable to teach, 3 ^anot addicted to wine, not ¹a bully nor quick-tempered and hot-headed, but gentle and considerate, ^bfree from the love of money not greedy for wealth and its inherent power—financially ethical. 4 He must ^amanage his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity keeping them respectful and well-behaved 5 (for if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of ^athe church of God?). 6 and he must not be a new convert, so that he will not behave stupidly and become ^aconceited by appointment to this high office and fall into the same ^bcondemnation incurred by the devil for his arrogance and pride. Is 14:12-14 7 And he must ^ahave a good reputation and be well thought of by ^bthose outside the church, so that he will not be discredited and fall into ^cthe devil’s trap.

8 ^1aDeacons likewise must be men worthy of respect honorable, financially ethical, of good character, not double-tongued speakers of half-truths, ^bnot addicted to wine, ^cnot greedy for dishonest gain, 9 but ^aupholding and fully understanding the mystery that is, the true doctrine of the Christian faith with a clear conscience resulting from behavior consistent with spiritual maturity. 10 ^aThese men must first be tested; then if they are found to be blameless and beyond reproach in their Christian lives, let them serve as deacons. 11 ¹Women must likewise be worthy of respect, ^anot malicious gossips, but ^bself-controlled, thoroughly trustworthy in all things. 12 ^aDeacons must be ^bhusbands of only one wife, and ^cgood managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons ^again a high standing having a good reputation among the congregation, and great confidence in the faith which is founded on and centered in Christ Jesus.

14 I hope to come to you before long, but I am writing these instructions to you 15 in case I am delayed, so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in ^athe household of God, which is the ^bchurch of ^cthe living God, the ^dpillar and foundation of the truth. 16 And great, we confess, is ^athe mystery the hidden truth of godliness:He (Jesus Christ) who was ^brevealed in human flesh,Was ^cjustified and vindicated in the Spirit,^dSeen by angels,^ePreached among the nations,^fBelieved on in the world,^gTaken up in glory.

^aIt is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the ^boffice of ¹overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 ^1aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, ^bthe husband of one wife, ^ctemperate, prudent, respectable, ^dhospitable, ^eable to teach, 3 ^anot addicted to wine ¹or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, ^bfree from the love of money. 4 He must be one who ^amanages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of ^athe church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become ^aconceited and fall into the ^bcondemnation ¹incurred by the devil. 7 And he must ^ahave a good reputation with ^bthose outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and ^cthe snare of the devil.

8 ^aDeacons likewise must be men of dignity, not ¹double-tongued, ^2bor addicted to much wine ^3cor fond of sordid gain, 9 ^abut holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 ^aThese men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 ¹Women must likewise be dignified, ^anot malicious gossips, but ^btemperate, faithful in all things. 12 ^aDeacons must be ^bhusbands of only one wife, and ^1cgood managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons ^aobtain for themselves a ¹high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but ¹in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how ²one ought to conduct himself in ^athe household of God, which is the ^bchurch of ^cthe living God, the ^dpillar and support of the truth. 16 By common confession, great is ^athe mystery of godliness:He who was ^brevealed in the flesh,Was ^1cvindicated ²in the Spirit,^dSeen by angels,^eProclaimed among the nations,^fBelieved on in the world,^gTaken up in glory.

^aIt is a trustworthy saying: if any man aspires to the ^boffice of ¹overseer, he desires a good work. 2 ^1aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, ^bthe husband of one wife, ^ctemperate, sensible, respectable, ^dhospitable, ^eable to teach, 3 ^anot addicted to wine ¹or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, ^bfree from the love of money; 4 ^aleading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of ^athe church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become ^aconceited and fall into the ^bcondemnation of the devil. 7 And he must ^ahave a good reputation with ^bthose outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and ^cthe snare of the devil.

8 ^aDeacons likewise must be dignified, not ¹double-tongued, ^bnot indulging in much wine, ^cnot fond of dishonest gain, 9 ^abut holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 ^aAnd these men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 ¹Women must likewise be dignified, ^anot malicious gossips, but ^btemperate, faithful in all things. 12 ^aDeacons must be ^bhusbands of only one wife, ^cleading their children and their own households well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons ^aobtain for themselves a ¹high standing and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, 15 but ¹in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how ²one ought to conduct himself in ^athe household of God, which is the ^bchurch of ^cthe living God, the ^dpillar and support of the truth. 16 And by common confession, great is ^athe mystery of godliness:He who was ^bmanifested in the flesh,Was ^1cvindicated ²in the Spirit,^dSeen by angels,^eProclaimed among the nations,^fBelieved on in the world,^gTaken up in glory.

^aIt is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the ^boffice of ¹overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 ^1aAn overseer, then, must be above reproach, ^bthe husband of one wife, ^2ctemperate, self-controlled, respectable, ^dhospitable, ^eskillful in teaching, 3 ^anot overindulging in wine, not ¹a bully, but gentle, not contentious, ^bfree from the love of money. 4 He must be one who ^amanages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of ^athe church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become ^aconceited and fall into ^bcondemnation ¹incurred by the devil. 7 And he must ^ahave a good reputation with ^bthose outside the church, so that he will not fall into ¹disgrace and ^cthe snare of the devil.

8 ^aDeacons likewise must be men of dignity, not ¹insincere, ^bnot prone to drink much wine, ^cnot greedy for money, 9 ^abut holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 ^aThese men must also first be tested; then have them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach. 11 ¹Women must likewise be dignified, ^anot malicious gossips, but ^2btemperate, faithful in all things. 12 ^aDeacons must be ^bhusbands of one wife, and ^1cgood managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons ^aobtain for themselves a ¹high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but ¹in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one should act in ^athe household of God, which is the ^bchurch of ^cthe living God, the ^dpillar and support of the truth. 16 Beyond question, great is ^athe mystery of godliness:He who was ^brevealed in the flesh,Was ^1cvindicated ²in the Spirit,^dSeen by angels,^eProclaimed among the nations,^fBelieved on in the world,^gTaken up in glory.