New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine.
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Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine.
2 Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.
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Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance.
3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good,
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Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness.
4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
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By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.
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be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don't want anyone looking down on God's Message because of their behavior.
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
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Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.
7 Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity,
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But mostly, show them all this by doing it yourself, incorruptible in your teaching,
8 and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.
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your words solid and sane. Then anyone who is dead set against us, when he finds nothing weird or misguided, might eventually come around.
9 Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back,
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Guide slaves into being loyal workers, a bonus to their masters - no back talk,
10 not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior.
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no petty thievery. Then their good character will shine through their actions, adding luster to the teaching of our Savior God.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,
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God's readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation's available for everyone!
12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,
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We're being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears.
14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
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He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness.
15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you.
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Tell them all this. Build up their courage, and discipline them if they get out of line. You're in charge. Don't let anyone put you down.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.