| 1 | An aged person thou mayest not rebuke, but be entreating as a father; younger persons as brethren; |
| 2 | aged women as mothers, younger ones as sisters—in all purity; |
| 3 | honour widows who are really widows; |
| 4 | and if any widow have children or grandchildren, let them learn first to their own house to show piety, and to give back a recompense to the parents, for this is right and acceptable before God. |
| 5 | And she who is really a widow and desolate, hath hoped upon God, and doth remain in the supplications and in the prayers night and day, |
| 6 | and she who is given to luxury, living—hath died; |
| 7 | and these things charge, that they may be blameless; |
| 8 | and if any one for his own—and especially for those of the household—doth not provide, the faith he hath denied, and than an unbeliever he is worse. |
| 9 | A widow—let her not be enrolled under sixty years of age, having been a wife of one husband, |
| 10 | in good works being testified to: if she brought up children, if she entertained strangers, if saints' feet she washed, if those in tribulation she relieved, if every good work she followed after; |
| 11 | and younger widows be refusing, for when they may revel against the Christ, they wish to marry, |
| 12 | having judgment, because the first faith they did cast away, |
| 13 | and at the same time also, they learn [to be] idle, going about the houses; and not only idle, but also tattlers and busybodies, speaking the things they ought not; |
| 14 | I wish, therefore, younger ones to marry, to bear children, to be mistress of the house, to give no occasion to the opposer to reviling; |
| 15 | for already certain did turn aside after the Adversary. |
| 16 | If any believing man or believing woman have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the assembly be burdened, that those really widows it may relieve. |
| 17 | The well-leading elders of double honour let them be counted worthy, especially those labouring in word and teaching, |
| 18 | for the Writing saith, 'An ox treading out thou shalt not muzzle,' and 'Worthy [is] the workman of his reward.' |
| 19 | Against an elder an accusation receive not, except upon two or three witnesses. |
| 20 | Those sinning, reprove before all, that the others also may have fear; |
| 21 | I testify fully, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the choice messengers, that these things thou mayest keep, without forejudging, doing nothing by partiality. |
| 22 | Be laying hands quickly on no one, nor be having fellowship with sins of others; be keeping thyself pure; |
| 23 | no longer be drinking water, but a little wine be using, because of thy stomach and of thine often infirmities; |
| 24 | of certain men the sins are manifest beforehand, leading before to judgment, and certain also they follow after; |
| 25 | in like manner also the right works are manifest beforehand, and those that are otherwise are not able to be hid. |