Duties toward Believers

5 Do not speak harshly to an older man,^[a] but speak to him as to a father, to younger men as brothers,^{(A) 2} to older women as mothers, to younger women as sisters—with absolute purity.

³ Honor widows who are really widows. ⁴ If a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some repayment to their parents, for this is pleasing in God’s sight.^{(B) 5} The real widow, left alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day,^{(C) 6} but the widow^[b] who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.^{(D) 7} Give these commands as well, so that they may be above reproach.^{(E) 8} And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.^(F)

⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.^{(A) 10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

The Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made^[a] the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.^{(B) 13} In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you^{(C) 14} to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,^{(D) 15} which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.^{(E) 16} It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.^(F)