First Epistle to Timothy - The New Testament

¹ All those under the yoke of slavery must have unqualified respect for their masters, so that the name of God and our teaching are not brought into disrepute.

² Those whose masters are believers are not to respect them less because they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve them all the better, since those who have the benefit of their services are believers and dear to God. This is what you are to teach and urge.

³ Anyone who teaches anything different and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion,

⁴ is proud and has no understanding, but rather a weakness for questioning everything and arguing about words. All that can come of this is jealousy, contention, abuse and evil mistrust;

⁵ and unending disputes by people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth, and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit.

⁶ Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have.

⁷ We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it;

⁸ but as long as we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that.

⁹ People who long to be rich are a prey to trial; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and harmful ambitions which plunge people into ruin and destruction.

¹⁰ 'The love of money is the root of all evils' and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds.

¹¹ But, as someone dedicated to God, avoid all that. You must aim to be upright and religious, filled with faith and love, perseverance and gentleness.

¹² Fight the good fight of faith and win the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made your noble profession of faith before many witnesses.

¹³ Now, before God, the source of all life, and before Jesus Christ, who witnessed to his noble profession of faith before Pontius Pilate, I charge you

¹⁴ to do all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ who at the due time will be revealed by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords,

¹⁶ who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no human being has seen or is able to see: to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.

¹⁷ Instruct those who are rich in this world's goods that they should not be proud and should set their hopes not on money, which is untrustworthy, but on God who gives us richly all that we need for our happiness.

¹⁸ They are to do good and be rich in good works, generous in giving and always ready to share-

¹⁹ this is the way they can amass a good capital sum for the future if they want to possess the only life that is real.

²⁰ My dear Timothy, take great care of all that has been entrusted to you. Turn away from godless philosophical discussions and the contradictions of the 'knowledge' which is not knowledge at all;

²¹ by adopting this, some have missed the goal of faith. Grace be with you.