^1. IT is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of [1] overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

^2. [2] An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

^3. not addicted to wine [3] or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.

^4. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

^5. (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),

^6. and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation [4] incurred by the devil.

^7. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

^8. Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not [7] double-tongued, [6] or addicted to much wine [5] or fond of sordid gain,

^9. but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

^10. These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

^11. [8] Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

^12. Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and [9] good managers of their children and their own households.

^13. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a [10] high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

^14. I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;

^15. but [12] in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how [11] one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

^16. By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was [14] vindicated [13] in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.