1 Timothy 5:14-25

5:14 So I want younger women to marry, raise children, and manage a household, in order to give the adversary no opportunity to vilify us. ¹  5:15 For some have already wandered away to follow Satan. ²  5:16 If a believing woman ³  has widows in her family, ⁴  let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need. ⁵ 

5:17 Elders who provide effective leadership ⁶  must be counted worthy ⁷  of double honor, ⁸  especially those who work hard in speaking ⁹  and teaching. 5:18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” ¹⁰  and, “The worker deserves his pay.” ¹¹  5:19 Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it can be confirmed by two or three witnesses. ¹²  5:20 Those guilty of sin ¹³  must be rebuked ¹⁴  before all, ¹⁵  as a warning to the rest. ¹⁶  5:21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind. ¹⁷  5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone ¹⁸  hastily and so identify with the sins of others. ¹⁹  Keep yourself pure. 5:23 (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your digestion ²⁰  and your frequent illnesses.) ²¹  5:24 The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later. ²²  5:25 Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.

[5:14]  ¹ tn Grk “for the sake of reviling.”

[5:15]  ² tn Grk “wandered away after Satan.”

[5:16]  ³ tc Most witnesses (D Ψ Ï sy) have πιστὸς ἤ (pisto" h) before πιστή (pisth), with the resultant meaning “if a believing man or woman.” But such looks to be a motivated reading, perhaps to bring some parity to the responsibilities of men and women listed here, and as a way of harmonizing with v. 4. Further, most of the earliest and best witnesses (א A C F G P 048 33 81 1175 1739 1881 co) lack the πιστὸς ἤ, strengthening the preference for the shorter reading.

[5:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “has widows.”

[5:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “the real widows,” “those who are really widows.”

[5:17]  ⁶ tn Grk “who lead well.”

[5:17]  ⁷ tn Or “deserving.”

[5:17]  ⁸ tn Like the similar use of “honor” in v. 3, this phrase
denotes both respect and remuneration: “honor plus honorarium.”

[5:17]  ⁹ tn Or “in preaching”; Grk “in word.”

[5:18]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.

[5:18]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Luke 10:7.

[5:19]  ¹² sn An allusion to Deut 17:6, 19:15.

[5:20]  ¹³ sn As a continuation of v. 19, this refers to elders who sin, not to sinning believers more generally.

[5:20]  ¹⁴ tn Or “censured.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.

[5:20]  ¹⁵ tn “Before all” probably refers to the whole congregation, not just all the elders; “the rest” is more likely to denote the remaining elders.

[5:20]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “that the rest may have fear.”

[5:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “doing nothing according to partiality.”

[5:22]  ¹⁸ tn In context “laying hands on anyone” refers to ordination or official installation of someone as an elder.

[5:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and do not share in the sins of others.”

[5:23]  ²⁰ tn Grk “for the sake of your stomach.”

[5:23]  ²¹ sn This verse gives parenthetical advice to Timothy, to clarify what it means to keep pure (5:22c). Verse 24 resumes the instructions about elders.

[5:24]  ²² tn Grk “they [the sins] follow after others.”