In the Field Audio Scriptures

Paul’s helper Timothy was in the church at Ephesus. Timothy had to deal with some of the church’s leaders and these leaders were teaching things that were not true. So when Timothy struggled with this problem, Paul came back to Ephesus where he was later arrested and sent to Rome. And this time Paul expected that there would be a trial and he would be killed. So Paul wrote to Timothy asking him to come to Rome quickly. Timothy was discouraged by what had happened. So Paul wrote this letter to encourage Timothy to be faithful to the true message. Paul told Timothy to be faithful even if it means suffering or death. Paul states that there will be false teachers and they will challenge the faithfulness of God’s people. Paul encourages Timothy to remember the good news, and Timothy knows this well, as he will continue to do the good work that he was called to do.

1 Correct an older man in a way that shows respect. Make an appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as if they were your brothers. Treat older women as if they were your mothers. 

2 Treat younger women as if they were your sisters. Be completely pure in the way you treat them. 

3 Take care of the widows who really need help. 

4 But suppose a widow has children or grandchildren. They should first learn to put their faith into practice. They should care for their own family. In that way they will pay back their parents and grandparents. That pleases God. 

5 A widow who really needs help and is left all alone puts her hope in God. Night and day she keeps on praying. Night and day she asks God for help. 

6 But a widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still living. 

7 Give these instructions to the people. Then no one can be blamed. 

8 Everyone should provide for their own relatives. Most of all, everyone should take care of their own family. If they don’t, they have left the faith. They are worse than someone who doesn’t believe. 

9 No widow should be put on the list of widows unless she is more than 60 years old. She must also have been faithful to her husband. 

10 She must be well known for the good things she does. That includes bringing up children. It includes inviting guests into her home. It includes washing the feet of the Lord’s people. It includes helping those who are in trouble. A widow should spend her time doing all kinds of good things. 

11 Don’t put younger widows on that kind of list. They might want pleasure more than they want Christ. Then they would want to get married again. 

12 If they do that, they will be judged. They have broken their first promise. 

13 Besides, they get into the habit of having nothing to do. They go around from house to house. They waste their time. They also bother other people and say things that make no sense. They shouldn’t say those things. 

14 So here is the advice I give to younger widows. Get married. Have children. Take care of your own homes. Don’t give the enemy the chance to tell lies about you. 

15 In fact, some have already turned away to follow Satan. 

16 Suppose a woman is a believer and takes care of widows. She should continue to help them. She shouldn’t let the church pay the expenses. Then the church can help the widows who really need it. 

17 The elders who do the church’s work well are worth twice as much honor. That is true in a special way of elders who preach and teach. 

18 Scripture says, “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) Scripture also says, “Workers are worthy of their pay.” (Luke 10:7) 

19 Don’t believe a charge against an elder unless two or three witnesses bring it. 

20 But those elders who are sinning should be corrected in front of everyone. This will be a warning to the others. 

21 I command you to follow these instructions. I command you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels. Treat everyone the same. Don’t favor one person over another. 

22 Don’t be too quick to place your hands on others to set them apart to serve God. Don’t take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 

23 Stop drinking only water. If your stomach is upset, drink a little wine. It can also help the other sicknesses you often have. 

24 The sins of some people are easy to see. They are already being judged. Others will be judged later. 

25 In the same way, good works are easy to see. But even good works that are hard to see can’t stay hidden forever.

1 Correct an older man in a way that shows respect. Make an appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as if they were your brothers. Treat older women as if they were your mothers.

2 Treat younger women as if they were your sisters. Be completely pure in the way you treat them.

3 Take care of the widows who really need help.

4 But suppose a widow has children or grandchildren. They should first learn to put their faith into practice. They should care for their own family. In that way they will pay back their parents and grandparents. That pleases God.

5 A widow who really needs help and is left all alone puts her hope in God. Night and day she keeps on praying. Night and day she asks God for help.

6 But a widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still living.

7 Give these instructions to the people. Then no one can be blamed.

8 Everyone should provide for their own relatives. Most of all, everyone should take care of their own family. If they don’t, they have left the faith. They are worse than someone who doesn’t believe.

9 No widow should be put on the list of widows unless she is more than 60 years old. She must also have been faithful to her husband.

10 She must be well known for the good things she does. That includes bringing up children. It includes inviting guests into her home. It includes washing the feet of the Lord’s people. It includes helping those who are in trouble. A widow should spend her time doing all kinds of good things.

11 Don’t put younger widows on that kind of list. They might want pleasure more than they want Christ. Then they would want to get married again.

12 If they do that, they will be judged. They have broken their first promise.

13 Besides, they get into the habit of having nothing to do. They go around from house to house. They waste their time. They also bother other people and say things that make no sense. They shouldn’t say those things.

14 So here is the advice I give to younger widows. Get married. Have children. Take care of your own homes. Don’t give the enemy the chance to tell lies about you.

15 In fact, some have already turned away to follow Satan.

16 Suppose a woman is a believer and takes care of widows. She should continue to help them. She shouldn’t let the church pay the expenses. Then the church can help the widows who really need it.

17 The elders who do the church’s work well are worth twice as much honor. That is true in a special way of elders who preach and teach.

18 Scripture says, “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) Scripture also says, “Workers are worthy of their pay.” (Luke 10:7)

19 Don’t believe a charge against an elder unless two or three witnesses bring it.

20 But those elders who are sinning should be corrected in front of everyone. This will be a warning to the others.

21 I command you to follow these instructions. I command you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels. Treat everyone the same. Don’t favor one person over another.

22 Don’t be too quick to place your hands on others to set them apart to serve God. Don’t take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

23 Stop drinking only water. If your stomach is upset, drink a little wine. It can also help the other sicknesses you often have.

24 The sins of some people are easy to see. They are already being judged. Others will be judged later.

25 In the same way, good works are easy to see. But even good works that are hard to see can’t stay hidden forever.

1 First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them. Give thanks for them.

2 Pray for kings. Pray for everyone who is in authority. Pray that we can live peaceful and quiet lives. And pray that we will be godly and holy.

3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior. He wants all people to be saved.

4 He wants them to come to know the truth.

5 There is only one God. And there is only one go-between for God and human beings. He is the man Christ Jesus.

6 He gave himself to pay for the sins of all people. We have been told this message at just the right time.

7 I was appointed to be a messenger and an apostle to preach the good news. I am telling the truth. I’m not lying. God appointed me to be a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

8 So I want the men in every place to pray. I want them to lift up holy hands. I don’t want them to be angry when they pray. I don’t want them to argue.

9 In the same way, I want the women to be careful how they dress. They should wear clothes that are right and proper. They shouldn’t wear their hair in very fancy styles. They shouldn’t wear gold or pearls. They shouldn’t wear clothes that cost a lot of money.

10 Instead, they should put on good works as if good works were their clothes. This is proper for women who claim to worship God.

11 When a woman is learning, she should be quiet. She should follow her leaders in every way.

12 I do not let women teach or take authority over a man. They must be quiet.

13 That’s because Adam was made first. Then Eve was made.

14 Adam was not the one who was tricked. The woman was tricked and became a sinner.

15 Will women be saved by having children? Only if they keep on believing, loving, and leading a holy life in a proper way.

Timothy was a true son in the faith. The Apostle Paul challenges Timothy to model perseverance, faithfulness, holiness, and love. Though not an apostle called by Christ, Timothy was the next best thing: a devoted, gifted, Spirit-filled, apostolically trained young leader who was prepared to devote his life to the cause of Christ. And now, Timothy was Paul’s choice to oversee a troubled church.

1 Remind God’s people to obey rulers and authorities. Remind them to be ready to do what is good.

2 Tell them not to speak evil things against anyone. Remind them to live in peace. They must consider the needs of others. They must always be gentle toward everyone.

3 At one time we too acted like fools. We didn’t obey God. We were tricked. We were controlled by all kinds of desires and pleasures. We were full of evil. We wanted what belongs to others. People hated us, and we hated one another.

4 But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared.

5 He saved us. It wasn’t because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life.

6 God poured out the Spirit on us freely. That’s because of what Jesus Christ our Savior has done.

7 His grace made us right with God. So now we have received the hope of eternal life as God’s children.

8 You can trust this saying. These things are important. Treat them that way. Then those who trust in God will be careful to commit themselves to doing good. These things are excellent. They are for the good of everyone.

9 But keep away from foolish disagreements. Don’t argue about family histories. Don’t make trouble. Don’t fight about what the law teaches. Don’t argue about things like that. It doesn’t do any good. It doesn’t help anyone.

10 Warn anyone who tries to get believers to separate from one another. Warn that person more than once. After that, have nothing to do with them.

11 You can be sure that people like this are twisted and sinful. Their own actions judge them.

12 I will send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Then do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. I’ve decided to spend the winter there.

13 Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos. Send them on their way. See that they have everything they need.

14 Our people must learn to commit themselves to doing what is good. Then they can provide for people when they are in great need. If they do that, their lives won’t turn out to be useless.

15 Everyone who is with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. May God’s grace be with you all.

1 But what you teach must agree with true teaching.

2 Tell the older men that in anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of respect. They must control themselves. They must have true faith. They must love others. They must not give up.

3 In the same way, teach the older women to lead a holy life. They must not tell lies about others. They must not let wine control them. Instead, they must teach what is good.

4 Then they can advise the younger women to love their husbands and children.

5 The younger women must control themselves and be pure. They must take good care of their homes. They must be kind. They must follow the lead of their husbands. Then no one will be able to speak evil things against God’s word.

6 In the same way, help the young men to control themselves.

7 Do what is good. Set an example for them in everything. When you teach, be honest and serious.

8 No one can question the truth. So teach what is true. Then those who oppose you will be ashamed. That’s because they will have nothing bad to say about us.

9 Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them.

10 They must not steal from them. Instead, they must show that they can be trusted completely. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.

11 God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people.

12 His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world.

13 That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior.

14 He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to desire to do what is good.

15 These are the things you should teach. Encourage people and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I serve God, and I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. God sent me to help his chosen people believe in Christ more and more. God sent me to help them understand even more the truth that leads to godly living. 

2 That belief and understanding lead to the hope of eternal life. Before time began, God promised to give that life. And he does not lie. 

3 Now, at just the right time, he has made his promise clear. He did this through the preaching that he trusted me with. God our Savior has commanded all these things. 

4 Titus, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace. 

5 I left you on the island of Crete. I did this because there were some things that hadn’t been finished. I wanted you to put them in order. I also wanted you to appoint elders in every town. I told you how to do it. 

6 An elder must be without blame. He must be faithful to his wife. His children must be believers. They must not give anyone a reason to say that they are wild and don’t obey. 

7 A church leader takes care of God’s family. That’s why he must be without blame. He must not look after only his own interests. He must not get angry easily. He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must not try to get money by cheating people. 

8 Instead, a church leader must welcome people into his home. He must love what is good. He must control his mind and feelings. He must do what is right. He must be holy. He must control the desires of his body. 

9 The message as it has been taught can be trusted. He must hold firmly to it. Then he will be able to use true teaching to comfort others and build them up. He will be able to prove that people who oppose it are wrong. 

10 Many people refuse to obey God. All they do is talk about things that mean nothing. They try to fool others. No one does these things more than the circumcision group. 

11 They must be stopped. They are making trouble for entire families. They do this by teaching things they shouldn’t. They do these things to cheat people. 

12 One of Crete’s own prophets has a saying. He says, “People from Crete are always liars. They are evil beasts. They don’t want to work. They live only to eat.” 

13 This saying is true. So give a strong warning to people who refuse to obey God. Then they will understand the faith correctly. 

14 Then they will pay no attention to Jewish stories that aren’t true. They won’t listen to the mere human commands of people who turn away from the truth. 

15 To people who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who have twisted minds and don’t believe, nothing is pure. In fact, their minds and their sense of what is right and wrong are twisted. 

16 They claim to know God. But their actions show they don’t know him. They are hated by God. They refuse to obey him. They aren’t fit to do anything good.