1 Timothy 5

New Testament for Everyone

Human families and God’s family

5 Don’t rebuke a senior man in the church, but exhort him as you might do with your father—or, in the case of younger ones, with your brothers. ² Treat the older women as mothers, and the younger ones as sisters, with all purity.

³ Pay respect to widows who really are widows. ⁴ If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to respect their own family and to make some repayment to those who brought them up. This, you see, pleases God. ⁵ A real widow is one who, left by herself, has set her hope on God, and continues in prayer and supplication night and day; ⁶ but a self-indulgent woman is dead even while she’s alive. ⁷ Give these commands so that they may be beyond blame. ⁸ If anyone doesn’t take care of their own relatives, especially their own household, they have denied the faith; they are worse than unbelievers.

Widows

⁹ Let a woman be registered as a widow if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ with a reputation for good works, having brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of God’s people, helped those who were suffering, and been steadfast in doing good wherever she can. ¹¹ Refuse to register younger widows. When their desires become strong against the Messiah, you see, they will want to marry, ¹² and they will receive condemnation because they have abandoned their earlier faith. ¹³ In addition, they learn the habit of idleness, going around from one house to another, not only wasting their time but gossiping and meddling, saying things they shouldn’t.

¹⁴ So this is my wish: the younger ones should marry, have children, run their households and give the enemy no opportunity to slander us ¹⁵ (some, you see, have already gone off after the satan!) ¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widowed, let her help them, so that the church won’t be burdened. That way, it can help widows who really are widows.

Elders

¹⁷ Elders who are good leaders ought to be paid double, particularly those who work hard in speaking and teaching. ¹⁸ The Bible says, you see, “Don’t muzzle an ox when it’s threshing,” and “the worker deserves his pay.”

¹⁹ Don’t accept an accusation against an elder, unless it is supported “by two or three witnesses.” ²⁰ When people persist in sin, rebuke them openly, so that the rest may be afraid.

²¹ Before God, Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I give you solemn warning to keep these commands without discrimination. Never act out of favoritism. ²² Don’t be too quick to lay hands on anyone; don’t share in other people’s sins. Keep yourself pure.

²³ You should stop confining yourself to drinking water. Use wine (in moderation!). That will be good for your digestion, and for the physical problems you often have.

²⁴ Some people’s sins are obvious, and walk ahead of them into the courtroom. Other people’s follow them there. ²⁵ In the same way, good works are obvious; but, even when they aren’t, they can’t stay hidden forever.