1 Timothy 5
5
Responsibilities towards Believers
1Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men as your brothers, 2the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity.
3Show respect for widows who really are all alone. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn first to carry out their religious duties towards their own family and in this way repay their parents and grandparents, because that is what pleases God. 5A widow who is all alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God and continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day. 6But a widow who gives herself to pleasure has already died, even though she lives. 7Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them. 8But if anyone does not take care of his relatives, especially the members of his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9Do not add any widow to the list of widows unless she is over sixty years of age. In addition, she must have been married only once#5.9 married only once; or faithful to her husband. 10and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for fellow-Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good.
11But do not include younger widows in the list; because when their desires make them want to marry, they turn away from Christ, 12and so become guilty of breaking their earlier promise to him. 13They also learn to waste their time in going round from house to house; but even worse, they learn to be gossips and busybodies, talking of things they should not. 14So I would prefer that the younger widows get married, have children, and take care of their homes, so as to give our enemies no chance of speaking evil of us. 15For some widows have already turned away to follow Satan. 16But if any Christian woman has widows in her family, she must take care of them and not put the burden on the church, so that it may take care of the widows who are all alone.
17The elders who do good work as leaders should be considered worthy of receiving double pay, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18#Deut 25.4; Mt 10.10; Lk 10.7For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox when you are using it to thresh corn” and “Workers should be given their pay.” 19#Deut 17.6; 19.15Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or more witnesses. 20Rebuke publicly all those who commit sins, so that the rest may be afraid.
21In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the holy angels I solemnly call upon you to obey these instructions without showing any prejudice or favour to anyone in anything you do. 22Be in no hurry to lay hands on anyone in dedication to the Lord's service. Take no part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
23Do not drink water only, but take a little wine to help your digestion, since you are ill so often.
24The sins of some people are plain to see, and their sins go ahead of them to judgement; but the sins of others are seen only later. 25In the same way good deeds are plainly seen, and even those that are not so plain cannot be hidden.
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
1 Timothy 5
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 God’s sight.
5A widow who has no family has placed her confidence in God 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 #5:17 Or “pastors,” or “elders.” who handle their duties well. This is especially true if they work hard at teaching God’s word. 18After all, Scripture says, “Never muzzle an ox when it is threshing #5:18 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 God, 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.
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