1 Timothy 1

Greeting

¹From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of Theos our Savior and Christ Jesus our confidence.

²To Timothy, a genuine child in faith.

Good will, (Or “Grace.”) mercy, and peace from Theos the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord are yours!

A Warning about False Teachers

³When I was going to the province of Macedonia, I encouraged you to stay in the city of Ephesus. That way you could order certain people to stop teaching false doctrine ⁴and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These myths and genealogies raise a lot of questions rather than promoting Theos’s plan, which centers in faith.

⁵My goal in giving you this order is for love to flow from a pure heart, from a clear conscience, and from a sincere faith. ⁶Some people have left these qualities behind and have turned to useless discussions. ⁷They want to be experts in Moses’ Teachings. However, they don’t understand what they’re talking about or the things about which they speak so confidently.

⁸We know that the laws in Moses’ Teachings are good if they are used as they were intended to be used. ⁹For example, a person must realize that those laws are not intended for people who have Theos’s approval. Laws are intended for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who think nothing is holy or sacred, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people. ¹⁰Laws are intended for people involved in sexual sins, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for those who lie when they take an oath, and for whatever else is against accurate teachings. ¹¹Moses’ Teachings were intended to be used in agreement with the Good News that contains the glory of the blessed Theos. I was entrusted with that Good News.

Theos’s Mercy to Paul

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord that he has trusted me and has appointed me to do his work with the strength he has given me. ¹³In the past I cursed him, persecuted him, and acted arrogantly toward him. However, I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief. ¹⁴Our Lord was very kind (Or “gracious.”) to me. Through his kindness he brought me to faith and gave me the love that Christ Jesus shows people.

¹⁵This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the foremost sinner. ¹⁶However, I was treated with mercy so that Christ Jesus could use me, the foremost sinner, to demonstrate his patience. This patience serves as an example for those who would believe in him and live forever. ¹⁷Worship and glory belong forever to the eternal king, the immortal, invisible, and only Theos. Amen.

Guidelines for the Church

¹⁸Timothy, my child, I’m giving you this order about the prophecies that are still coming to you: Use these prophecies in faith and with a clear conscience to fight this noble war. ¹⁹Some have refused to let their faith guide their conscience and their faith has been destroyed like a wrecked ship. (Verses 18 and 19 have been rearranged to express the complex Greek sentence structure more clearly in English.) ²⁰Among these people are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan in order to teach them not to dishonor Theos.

1 Timothy 2

¹First of all, I encourage you to make petitions, prayers, intercessions, and prayers of thanks for all people, ²for rulers, and for everyone who has authority over us. Pray for these people so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way. ³This is good and pleases Theos our Savior. ⁴He wants all people to be saved and to learn the truth. ⁵There is one Theos. There is also one mediator between Theos and humans—a human, Christ Jesus. ⁶He sacrificed himself for all people to free them from their sins.

This message is valid for every era. ⁷I was appointed to spread this Good News and to be an apostle to teach people who are not Jewish about faith and truth. I’m telling you the truth. I’m not lying.

⁸I want men to offer prayers everywhere. They should raise their hands in prayer after putting aside their anger and any quarrels they have with anyone.

⁹I want women to show their beauty by dressing in appropriate clothes that are modest and respectable. Their beauty will be shown by what they do, (The first part of verse 10 (in Greek) has been moved to verse 9 to express the complex Greek sentence structure more clearly in English.) not by their hair styles or the gold jewelry, pearls, or expensive clothes they wear. ¹⁰This is what is proper for women who claim to have reverence for Theos.

¹¹A woman must learn in silence, in keeping with her position. ¹²I don’t allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. Instead, she should be quiet. ¹³After all, Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴Besides that, Adam was not deceived. It was the woman who was deceived and sinned. ¹⁵However, she ⌞and all women⌟ will be saved through the birth of the child, (Taken to refer to Jesus. Or “will be saved by having children,” or “will be kept safe as they have children.”) if they lead respectable lives in faith, love, and holiness.

1 Timothy 3

Guidelines for Leaders in the Church

¹This is a statement that can be trusted: If anyone sets his heart on being a bishop, he desires something excellent. ²A bishop must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife, be sober, use good judgment, be respectable, be hospitable, and be able to teach. ³He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but he must be gentle. He must not be quarrelsome or love money. ⁴He must manage his own family well. His children should respectfully obey him. ⁵(If a man doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of Theos’s church?) ⁶He must not be a new Christian, or he might become arrogant like the devil and be condemned. ⁷People who are not Christians must speak well of him, or he might become the victim of disgraceful insults that the devil sets as traps for him.

⁸Deacons must also be of good character. They must not be two-faced or addicted to alcohol. They must not use shameful ways to make money. ⁹They must have clear consciences about possessing the mystery of the Christian faith. ¹⁰First, a person must be evaluated. Then, if he has a good reputation, he may become a deacon.

¹¹Their wives must also be of good character. They must not be gossips, but they must control their tempers and be trustworthy in every way.

¹²A deacon must have only one wife. Deacons must manage their children and their families well. ¹³Those deacons who serve well gain an excellent reputation and will have confidence as a result of their faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴I hope to visit you soon. However, I’m writing this to you ¹⁵in case I’m delayed. I want you to know how people who are members of Theos’s family must live. Theos’s family is the church of the living Theos, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁶The mystery that gives us our reverence for Theos is acknowledged to be great:

He *Some manuscripts read “Theos.” appeared in his human nature,
was approved by the Spirit (pneuma),
was seen by angels,
was announced throughout the nations,
was believed in the world,
and was taken to heaven in glory.

1 Timothy 4

A Prophecy about the Last Times

¹The Spirit (pneuma) says clearly that in later times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons. ²These people will speak lies disguised as truth. Their consciences have been scarred as if branded by a red-hot iron. ³They will try to stop others from getting married and from eating certain foods. Theos created food to be received with prayers of thanks by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴Everything Theos created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. ⁵Theos’s word and prayer set it apart as holy.

Guidelines for Serving Christ

⁶You are a good servant of Christ Jesus when you point these things out to our brothers and sisters. Then you will be nourished by the words of the Christian faith and the excellent teachings which you have followed closely. ⁷Don’t have anything to do with godless myths that old women like to tell. Rather, train yourself to live a godly life. ⁸Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. ⁹This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance. ¹⁰Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living Theos. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

¹¹Insist on these things and teach them. ¹²Don’t let anyone look down on you for being young. Instead, make your speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity an example for other believers. ¹³Until I get there, concentrate on reading ⌞Scripture⌟ in worship, giving encouraging messages, and teaching people. ¹⁴Don’t neglect the gift which you received through prophecy when the spiritual leaders (Or “pastors,” or “elders.”) placed their hands on you ⌞to ordain you⌟. ¹⁵Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. ¹⁶Focus on your life and your teaching. Continue to do what I’ve told you. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 5

Guidelines for Dealing with Other Christians

¹Never use harsh words when you correct an older man, but talk to him as if he were your father. Talk to younger men as if they were your brothers, ²older women as if they were your mothers, and younger women as if they were your sisters, while keeping yourself morally pure.

³Honor widows who have no families. ⁴The children or grandchildren of a widow must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents. This is pleasing in Theos’s sight.

⁵A widow who has no family has placed her confidence in Theos by praying and asking for his help night and day. ⁶But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead although she is still alive. ⁷Insist on these things so that widows will have good reputations. ⁸If anyone doesn’t take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the Christian faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹Any widow who had only one husband and is at least 60 years old should be put on your list ⌞of widows⌟. ¹⁰People should tell about the good things she has done: raising children, being hospitable, taking care of believers’ needs, helping the suffering, or always doing good things.

¹¹Don’t include younger widows ⌞on your list⌟. Whenever their natural desires become stronger than their devotion to Christ, they’ll want to marry. ¹²They condemn themselves by rejecting the Christian faith, the faith they first accepted. ¹³At the same time, they learn to go around from house to house since they have nothing else to do. Not only this, but they also gossip and get involved in other people’s business, saying things they shouldn’t say.

¹⁴So I want younger widows to marry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. ¹⁵Some of them have already turned away to follow Satan. ¹⁶If any woman is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. In this way the church is not burdened and can help widows who have no families.

¹⁷Give double honor to spiritual leaders (Or “pastors,” or “elders.”) who handle their duties well. This is especially true if they work hard at teaching Theos’s word. ¹⁸After all, Scripture says, “Never muzzle an ox when it is threshing (Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.) grain,” and “The worker deserves his pay.”

¹⁹Don’t pay attention to an accusation against a spiritual leader unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. ²⁰Reprimand those leaders who sin. Do it in front of everyone so that the other leaders will also be afraid.

²¹I solemnly call on you in the sight of Theos, Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels to be impartial when you follow what I’ve told you. Never play favorites.

²²Don’t be in a hurry to place your hands on anyone ⌞to ordain him⌟. Don’t participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself morally pure.

²³Stop drinking only water. Instead, drink a little wine for your stomach because you are frequently sick.

²⁴The sins of some people are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment. The sins of others follow them there. ²⁵In the same way, the good things that people do are obvious, and those that aren’t obvious can’t remain hidden.

1 Timothy 6

¹All slaves who believe must give complete respect to their own masters. In this way no one will speak evil of Theos’s name and what we teach. ²Slaves whose masters also believe should respect their masters even though their masters are also believers. As a result, believers who are slaves should serve their masters even better because those who receive the benefit of their work are believers whom they love.

Guidelines for Living a Godly Life

Teach and encourage people to do these things. ³Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn’t agree with the accurate words of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teachings ⁴is a conceited person. He shows that he doesn’t understand anything. Rather, he has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words. This produces jealousy, rivalry, cursing, suspicion, ⁵and conflict between people whose corrupt minds have been robbed of the truth. They think that a godly life is a way to make a profit.

⁶A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have. ⁷We didn’t bring anything into the world, and we can’t take anything out of it. ⁸As long as we have food and clothes, we should be satisfied.

⁹But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. ¹⁰Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.

¹¹But you, man of Theos, must avoid these things. Pursue what Theos approves of: a godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. ¹²Fight the good fight for the Christian faith. Take hold of everlasting life to which you were called and about which you made a good testimony in front of many witnesses.

¹³In the sight of Theos, who gives life to everything, and in the sight of Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony in front of Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴I insist that, until our Lord Jesus Christ appears, you obey this command completely. Then you cannot be blamed for doing anything wrong. ¹⁵At the right time Theos will make this known. Theos is the blessed and only ruler. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶He is the only one who cannot die. He lives in light that no one can come near. No one has seen him, nor can they see him. Honor and power belong to him forever! Amen.

¹⁷Tell those who have the riches of this world not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, they should place their confidence in Theos who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸Tell them to do good, to do a lot of good things, to be generous, and to share. ¹⁹By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves which is a good foundation for the future. In this way they take hold of what life really is.

²⁰Timothy, guard the Good News which has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless discussions and the claims of false knowledge that people use to oppose ⌞the Christian faith⌟. ²¹Although some claim to have knowledge, they have abandoned the faith.

Theos’s good will (Or “grace.”) be with all of you.