Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

A constant dripping on a rainy day and a contentious woman are alike—

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? . . .

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension. Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet. . . .

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? . . .

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, . . .

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

But as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine.

A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task.

Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.

Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation! We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities; in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger; . . .

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” “Do not take money by force or false accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”

He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, and in which you stand firm. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. . . .

This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.

Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Honor the widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in her petitions and prayers. . . .

So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.

Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them. Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. . . .

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The desire of a man is loving devotion; better to be poor than a liar.

Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

These are additional proverbs of Solomon, which were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out. As the heavens are high and the earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched. Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth. Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness. . . .

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination. As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money. Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.