1 Timothy 3 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Qualifications for Overseers

1Ti 3:1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

1Ti 3:2Therefore an overseer[fn] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[fn] sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

1Ti 3:3

1Ti 3:3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

1Ti 3:4

1Ti 3:4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

1Ti 3:5

1Ti 3:5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

1Ti 3:6

1Ti 3:6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

1Ti 3:7

1Ti 3:7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

1Ti 3:8

1Ti 3:8Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[fn] not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

1Ti 3:9

1Ti 3:9They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

1Ti 3:10

1Ti 3:10And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

1Ti 3:11

1Ti 3:11Their wives likewise[fn] must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

1Ti 3:12

1Ti 3:12Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

1Ti 3:13

1Ti 3:13For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The Mystery of Godliness

1Ti 3:14

1Ti 3:14I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that,

1Ti 3:15

1Ti 3:15if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

1Ti 3:16

1Ti 3:16Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He[fn] was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated[fn] by the Spirit,[fn]
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(3:2)

Or bishop; Greek episkopos; a similar term occurs in verse 1

(3:2)

Or a man of one woman; also verse 12

(3:8)

Or devious in speech

(3:11)

Or Wives likewise, or Women likewise

(3:16)

Greek Who; some manuscripts God; others Which

(3:16)

Or justified

(3:16)

Or vindicated in spirit

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

See detailed copyright information.

For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.

1 Timothy Chapter 3 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Morphological Greek New Testament Textus Receptus Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

1 Timothy 3 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Qualifications for Overseers

Qualifications for Deacons

The Mystery of Godliness

ESV Footnotes

1 Timothy Chapter 3 — Additional Translations:

Did You Know BLB Is User Supported?