| 3:1 | This saying* is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,* he desires a good work.” |
| 3:2 | The overseer* then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,* temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, |
| 3:3 | not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. |
| 3:4 | He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.* |
| 3:5 | But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? |
| 3:6 | He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant* and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.* |
| 3:7 | And he must be well thought of by* those outside the faith,* so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.* |
| 3:8 | Deacons likewise must be dignified,* not two-faced,* not given to excessive drinking,* not greedy for gain, |
| 3:9 | holding to the mystery of the faith* with a clear conscience. |
| 3:10 | And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless. |
| 3:11 | Likewise also their wives* must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. |
| 3:12 | Deacons must be husbands of one wife* and good managers of their children and their own households. |
| 3:13 | For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves* and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.* |
| 3:14 | I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions* to you |
| 3:15 | in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves* in the household of God, because it is* the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. |
| 3:16 | And we all agree,* our religion contains amazing revelation:* He* was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit,* seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. |
1 Timothy 3 - NET Bible [draft]
