Commands to households

2 So what must you do? Just this: you must instruct people how to conduct themselves in accordance with healthy teaching.

² The older men are to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in faith, love and patience. ³ In the same way, older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or enslaved to heavy drinking, able to teach what is good. ⁴ That way, they can give sensible instructions to the younger women on how to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ and how to be sensible, holy, good at looking after the household, and submissive to their own husbands, so that people won’t have bad things to say about the word of God. ⁶ You must urge the younger men, in the same way, to be sensible ⁷ in all things.

Make sure you present yourself as a pattern of good works. Your teaching must be consistent and serious, ⁸ in healthy speech that is beyond reproach. That way, our opponents will be ashamed, since they won’t have anything bad to say about us.

⁹ Slaves must be submissive in everything to their masters. They must do what is wanted and not answer back ¹⁰ or help themselves to their masters’ property. They are to show good faith in everything, so that in every way they may be a good advertisement for the teaching of God our savior.

Grace, hope and holiness

¹¹ God’s saving grace, you see, appeared for all people. ¹² It teaches us that we should turn our backs on ungodliness and the passions of the world, and should live sober, just and devout lives in the present age, ¹³ while we wait eagerly for the blessed hope and royal appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us so that he could ransom us from all lawless actions and purify for himself a people as his very own who would be eager for good works.

¹⁵ This is what you must say. Exhort people and rebuke them. Use full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.