Duties of Servants and Masters
6 All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their own masters as deserving of the highest respect,[a] so that the name of God and our teaching may not be discredited.[b] 2 Moreover, those who have believing masters should be respectful to them, because they are fellow believers.[c] In fact, they must serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dear to them. These are the things you must teach and exhort.
Rules for Godly Living
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and refuses to agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] and godly teaching, 4 he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and incessant conflict between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth. They think that godliness is a way to make a profit.[e] 6 Of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit.
7 Nothing to this world we bring;
from it take we nothing.
8 With food to eat and clothes to wear;
content we are in everything.
9 But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused[f] themselves a lot of pain.
Advice for Timothy
11 But you, man of God, must flee from all these things.
Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness,[g]
love, endurance, and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight for the faith.
Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called
and about which you gave a good testimony
in front of many witnesses.
13 Since you are[h] in the presence of God, who gives life to everything, and in the presence of the Messiah[i] Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, I solemnly charge you 14 to keep these commands stainlessly and blamelessly until the appearance of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[j] 15 At the right time, he will make him known.
God[k] is the blessed and only Ruler,
the King of kings
and Lord of lords.
16 He alone has endless life
and lives in inaccessible light.
No one has ever seen him,
nor can anyone see him.
Honor and eternal power belong to him!
Amen.
Advice for the Wealthy
17 Tell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence[l] in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good actions, to be generous, and to share. 19 By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future, so that they can keep their hold on the life that is real.
Final Greeting
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the pointless discussions and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. 21 Although some claim to have it, they have abandoned the faith. May grace be with all of you!
Footnotes
- 1 Timothy 6:1 Or of full honor
- 1 Timothy 6:1 Or slandered
- 1 Timothy 6:2 Lit. brothers
- 1 Timothy 6:3 Or Christ
- 1 Timothy 6:5 Other mss. read make a profit. Stay away from such people.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 Lit. pierced
- 1 Timothy 6:11 Or faith
- 1 Timothy 6:13 The Gk. lacks Since you are
- 1 Timothy 6:13 Or Christ
- 1 Timothy 6:14 Or Christ
- 1 Timothy 6:15 Lit. He
- 1 Timothy 6:17 The Gk. lacks let them place their confidence