1It is a faithful saying, that if a man desireth the eldership, he desireth a good work. 2And an elder ought to be such, that no blame can be found in him; and he should be the husband of one wife, with a vigilant mind, and sober and regular in his habits, and affectionate to strangers, and instructive; 3and not a transgressor in regard to wine, and whose hand is not swift to strike; but he should be humble, and not contentious, nor a lover of money; 4and one that guideth well his own house, and holdeth his children in subjection with all purity. 5For if he knoweth not how to guide his own house well, how can he guide the church of God. 6Neither let him be of recent discipleship; lest he be uplifted, and fall into the condemnation of Satan. 7And there ought to be good testimony of him from those without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of Satan. 8And so also the deacons should be pure, and not speak double, nor incline to much wine, nor love base gains; 9but should hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10And let them be first tried, and then let them serve, if they are without blame. 11So also should the wives be chaste and of vigilant minds; and they should be faithful in all things; and they should not be slanderers. 12Let the deacons be such as have each one wife and guide well their children and households. 13For they who serve well as deacons, procure for themselves a good degree, and much boldness in the faith of Jesus the Messiah. 14These things I write to thee, while hoping soon to come to thee; 15but if I should delay, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to conduct thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. The pillar and the foundation of the truth, 16and truly great, is this mystery of righteousness, which was revealed in the flesh, and justified in the spirit, and seen by angels, and proclaimed among the Gentiles, and believed on in the world, and received up into glory.