Dual Panel1THE SAYING is true {and} irrefutable: If any man [eagerly] seeks the office of bishop (superintendent, overseer), he desires an excellent task (work).
2Now a bishop (superintendent, overseer) must give no grounds for accusation {but} must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, circumspect {and} temperate {and} self-controlled; [he must be] sensible {and} well behaved {and} dignified and lead an orderly (disciplined) life; [he must be] hospitable [showing love for and being a friend to the believers, especially strangers or foreigners, and be] a capable {and} qualified teacher,
3Not given to wine, not combative but gentle {and} considerate, not quarrelsome {but} forbearing {and} peaceable, and not a lover of money [insatiable for wealth and ready to obtain it by questionable means].
4He must rule his own household well, keeping his children under control, with true dignity, commanding their respect in every way {and} keeping them respectful.
5For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?
6He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind] as the result of pride [be blinded by conceit, and] fall into the condemnation that the devil [once] did.
7Furthermore, he must have a good reputation {and} be well thought of by those outside [the church], lest he become involved in slander {and} incur reproach and fall into the devil's trap.
8In like manner the deacons [must be] worthy of respect, not shifty {and} double-talkers {but} sincere in what they say, not given to much wine, not greedy for base gain [craving wealth and resorting to ignoble and dishonest methods of getting it].
9They must possess the mystic secret of the faith [Christian truth as hidden from ungodly men] with a clear conscience.
10And let them also be tried {and} investigated {and} proved first; then, if they turn out to be above reproach, let them serve [as deacons].
11[The] women likewise must be worthy of respect {and} serious, not gossipers, but temperate {and} self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things.
12Let deacons be the husbands of but one wife, and let them manage [their] children and their own households well.
13For those who perform well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and also gain much confidence {and} freedom {and} boldness in the faith which is [founded on and centers] in Christ Jesus.
14Although I hope to come to you before long, I am writing these instructions to you so that,
15If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth.
16And great {and} important {and} weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified {and} vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.