1All those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, lest the name of God and the teaching be slandered. 2And those who have believing masters must not look down on them because they are brothers, but rather they must serve, because those who benefit by their service are believers and dearly loved.Teach and encourage these things. 3If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, 4he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a morbid interest concerning controversies and disputes about words, from which come envy, strife, slanders, evil suspicions, 5constant wrangling by people of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who consider godliness to be a means of gain. 6But godliness with contentment is a great means of gain. 7For we have brought nothing into the world, so that neither can we bring anything out. 8But if we have food and clothing, with these things we will be content. 9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a trap and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge those people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all evil, by which some, because they desire it, have gone astray from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. 11But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13I command you, in the sight of God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14that you observe the commandment without fault, irreproachable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will make known in his own time, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, 16the one who alone possesses immortality, who lives in unapproachable light, whom no human being has seen nor is able to see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. 17Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment, 18to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life. 20O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some, by professing it, have deviated concerning the faith. Grace be with you all.