Teaching Sound Doctrine
1But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
3The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
6Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. 7In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
9Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
God's Grace Brings Salvation
11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Teaching Sound Doctrine
1 But say the things which fit sound doctrine, 2 that older men should be temperate, sensible, sober minded, sound in faith, in love, and in patience:
3 and that older women likewise be reverent in behavior, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good; 4 that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sober minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that God’s word may not be blasphemed.
6 Likewise, exhort the younger men to be sober minded; 7 in all things showing yourself an example of good works; in your teaching showing integrity, seriousness, incorruptibility, 8 and soundness of speech that can’t be condemned; that he who opposes you may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us.
9 Exhort servants to be in subjection to their own masters, and to be well-pleasing in all things; not contradicting; 10 not stealing, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things.
God’s Grace Brings Salvation
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; 13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
15 Say these things and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no man despise you.
Teaching Sound Doctrine
1 But as for you, speak the things that are consistent with sound doctrine.
2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.
3 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good. 4 In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.
6 In the same way, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
7 In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not stealing from them, but showing all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the teaching about God our Savior.
God’s Grace Brings Salvation
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. 12 It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. 14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
15 Speak these things as you encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Teaching Sound Doctrine
1And thou -- be speaking what doth become the sound teaching; 2aged men to be temperate, grave, sober, sound in the faith, in the love, in the endurance;
3aged women, in like manner, in deportment as doth become sacred persons, not false accusers, to much wine not enslaved, of good things teachers, 4that they may make the young women sober-minded, to be lovers of their husbands, lovers of their children, 5sober, pure, keepers of their own houses, good, subject to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be evil spoken of.
6The younger men, in like manner, be exhorting to be sober-minded; 7concerning all things thyself showing a pattern of good works; in the teaching uncorruptedness, gravity, incorruptibility, 8discourse sound, irreprehensible, that he who is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say concerning you.
9Servants -- to their own masters are to be subject, in all things to be well-pleasing, not gainsaying, 10not purloining, but showing all good stedfastness, that the teaching of God our Saviour they may adorn in all things.
God's Grace Brings Salvation
11For the saving grace of God was manifested to all men, 12teaching us, that denying the impiety and the worldly desires, soberly and righteously and piously we may live in the present age, 13waiting for the blessed hope and manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, 14who did give himself for us, that he might ransom us from all lawlessness, and might purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works;
15these things be speaking, and exhorting, and convicting, with all charge; let no one despise thee!
The Favor of God paraphrase
Teaching Sound Doctrine
¹ But you must teach what is in line with sound doctrine! ² Older men should be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. ³ Likewise, teach older women to live reverent lives, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to be teachers of good things. ⁴ They can then urge younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
⁶ Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. ⁷ In everything, set an example by doing what is good. In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness, ⁸ and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
⁹ Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, ¹⁰ and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
The Grace of God in Salvation
¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.
Final Instructions
¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you!
Footnotes:
1.“Sound doctrine” (verse 1) refers to teachings that are aligned with the truth of the Gospel and free from false or misleading elements. The Greek word hugiainousa means “healthy” or “wholesome,” emphasizing the life-giving nature of the teachings.
2.“Reverent lives” (verse 3) refers to a holy and respectable way of living, befitting those who serve God. The Greek word hieroprepēs carries the idea of living in a way that honors sacred things.
3.“Subject to their husbands” (verse 5) reflects the cultural expectations of the time but should be understood in the context of mutual love and respect in marriage, as seen in other New Testament teachings.
4.“Set an example” (verse 7) calls leaders to model the behavior they teach. Paul emphasizes the importance of living a life of integrity and good works, not just preaching it.
5.“The grace of God” (verse 11) refers to the unmerited favor and love of God that brings salvation. It’s not just a one-time gift but also an ongoing teacher that shapes how we live.
6.“The blessed hope” (verse 13) refers to the anticipated return of Jesus Christ, which believers look forward to with joy and expectation. This hope fuels righteous living.
7.“Redeem” (verse 14) is from the Greek word lutroo, meaning to buy back or deliver from slavery. Christ’s sacrifice frees believers from sin and purifies them to be His special people.
