HOLY BIBLE: 1 Timothy 4 (original) (raw)

1 Τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ῥητῶς λέγει ὅτι ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονταί τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασιν πλάνοις καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων, 2 ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, κεκαυστηριασμένων τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν, 3 κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς καὶ ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. 4 ὅτι πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ καλόν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον μετὰ εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον, 5 ἁγιάζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου θεοῦ καὶ ἐντεύξεως. 6 ταῦτα ὑποτιθέμενος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καλὸς ἔσῃ διάκονος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐντρεφόμενος τοῖς λόγοις τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς καλῆς διδασκαλίας ᾗ παρηκολούθηκας: 7 τοὺς δὲ βεβήλους καὶ γραώδεις μύθους παραιτοῦ. γύμναζε δὲ σεαυτὸν πρὸς εὐσέβειαν: 8 ἡ γὰρ σωματικὴ γυμνασία πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶν ὠφέλιμος, ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν, ἐπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα ζωῆς τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης. 9 πιστὸς ὁ λόγος καὶ πάσης ἀποδοχῆς ἄξιος: 10 εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ κοπιῶμεν καὶ ἀγωνιζόμεθα, ὅτι ἠλπίκαμεν ἐπὶ θεῷ ζῶντι, ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, μάλιστα πιστῶν.

1 We are expressly told by inspiration that, in later days, there will be some who abandon the faith, listening to false inspirations, and doctrines taught by the devils. 2 They will be deceived by the pretensions of impostors, whose conscience is hardened as if by a searing-iron. 3 Such teachers bid them abstain from marriage, and from certain kinds of food, although God has made these for the grateful enjoyment of those whom faith has enabled to recognize the truth.[1] 4 All is good that God has made, nothing is to be rejected; only we must be thankful to him when we partake of it, 5 then it is hallowed for our use by God’s blessing and the prayer which brings it.[2] 6 Lay down these rules for the brethren, and thou wilt shew thyself a true servant of Jesus Christ, thriving on the principles of that faith whose wholesome doctrine thou hast followed. 7 Leave foolish nursery tales alone, and train thyself, instead, to grow up in holiness.[3] 8 Training of the body avails but little; holiness is all-availing, since it promises well both for this life and for the next; 9 how true is that saying, and what a welcome it deserves![4] 10 It is for this that we endure toil and reproach,[5] our hope in a living God, who is the Saviour of mankind, and above all of those who believe in him.

1 Spiritus autem manifeste dicit, quia in novissimis temporibus discedent quidam a fide, attendentes spiritibus erroris, et doctrinis dæmoniorum, 2 in hypocrisi loquentium mendacium, et cauteriatam habentium suam conscientiam, 3 prohibentium nubere, abstinere a cibis, quod Deus creavit ad percipiendum cum gratiarum actione fidelibus, et iis qui cognoverunt veritatem. 4 Quia omnis creatura Dei bona est, et nihil rejiciendum quod cum gratiarum actione percipitur: 5 sanctificatur enim per verbum Dei, et orationem. 6 Hæc proponens fratribus, bonus eris minister Christi Jesu enutritus verbis fidei, et bonæ doctrinæ, quam assecutus es. 7 Ineptas autem, et aniles fabulas devita: exerce autem teipsum ad pietatem. 8 Nam corporalis exercitatio, ad modicum utilis est: pietas autem ad omnia utilis est, promissionem habens vitæ, quæ nunc est, et futuræ. 9 Fidelis sermo, et omni acceptione dignus. 10 In hoc enim laboramus, et maledicimur, quia speramus in Deum vivum, qui est Salvator omnium hominum, maxime fidelium.

11 Παράγγελλε ταῦτα καὶ δίδασκε. 12 μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ τύπος γίνου τῶν πιστῶν ἐν λόγῳ, ἐν ἀναστροφῇ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐν πίστει, ἐν ἁγνείᾳ. 13 ἕως ἔρχομαι πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει, τῇ παρακλήσει, τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. 14 μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθη σοι διὰ προφητείας μετὰ ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτερίου. 15 ταῦτα μελέτα, ἐν τούτοις ἴσθι, ἵνα σου ἡ προκοπὴ φανερὰ ᾖ πᾶσιν. 16 ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ: ἐπίμενε αὐτοῖς: τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν καὶ σεαυτὸν σώσεις καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντάς σου.

11 Such is the charge, such is the doctrine thou art to deliver. 12 Do not let anyone think the less of thee for thy youthfulness; make thyself a model of speech and behaviour for the faithful, all love, all faith, all purity. 13 Reading, preaching, instruction, let these be thy constant care while I am absent. 14 A special grace has been entrusted to thee; prophecy awarded it, and the imposition of the presbyters’ hands went with it; do not let it suffer from neglect.[6] 15 Let this be thy study, these thy employments, so that all may see how well thou doest. 16 Two things claim thy attention, thyself and the teaching of the faith; spend thy care on them; so wilt thou and those who listen to thee achieve salvation.[7]

11 Præcipe hæc, et doce. 12 Nemo adolescentiam tuam contemnat: sed exemplum esto fidelium in verbo, in conversatione, in caritate, in fide, in castitate. 13 Dum venio, attende lectioni, exhortationi, et doctrinæ. 14 Noli negligere gratiam, quæ in te est, quæ data est tibi per prophetiam, cum impositione manuum presbyterii. 15 Hæc meditare, in his esto: ut profectus tuus manifestus sit omnibus. 16 Attende tibi, et doctrinæ: insta in illis. Hoc enim faciens, et teipsum salvum facies, et eos qui te audiunt.

[1] ‘Certain kinds of food’; either those prohibited by the Jewish law, as in Rom. 14, or some others (perhaps flesh-meat generally) prohibited by innovating teachers at Ephesus, in the spirit of the later Gnostics.

[2] ‘God’s blessing’; literally, ‘God’s word’, which some understand here as meaning ‘the words of Scripture’; it is doubtful whether St Paul ever uses the phrase in that sense.

[3] For ‘foolish’ the Greek has ‘profane’; it is not clear in what sense.

[4] Some commentators think the saying consists of the words given in verse 10.

[5] ‘Reproach’; many Greek manuscripts read ‘struggle’.

[6] St Paul says that the grace was given to St Timothy ‘through prophecy’, presumably in the sense that the prophets pointed him out as a suitable person to be made a presbyter, or a bishop (cf. 1.18 above, and Ac. 13.2). It was, perhaps, through this influence that he was chosen in spite of his youth, on which this chapter seems to lay special emphasis.

[7] ‘Spend thy care on them’; that is, upon thyself and upon the preaching of the faith, as is indicated by the words which follow.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd