1 Timothy — The Coverdale Bible (1535)
1 Timothy is the pastoral letter on church order, sound doctrine and the duties of bishops and deacons. In Coverdale’s Bible of 1535 it stands in the New Testament under the heading “The first Epistle of the Apostle S. Paul to Timothy”. Coverdale’s summary of the chapters stands before the text; the 1535 Bible has no verse numbers, so the text keeps its own paragraphs, in 6 chapters, with the marginal notes and references printed after each chapter.
The summe of this epistle.
- Chap. I. He exhorteth Timothy to wayte vpō his office: namely, to se that nothīge be taughte but Gods worde &c. He sheweth also wherfore the lawe is good, and telleth these swete and glad tidinges, that Christ Iesus came in to the worlde to saue synners, example of himselfe.
- Chap. II. He exhorteth to praye for all men. He will not haue wemen to be ouer costly arayed, ner to teach in the congregacion, but to be in sylence, and obeye their huszbandes.
- Chap. III. What maner of man a byszhpppe or prest ought to be, and what condicions his wife and children shulde haue. The properties also requyred in a deacon or mynister, and in his wife.
- Chap. IIII. He prophecieth of the latter dayes, and exhorteth Timothy to the diligēt readynge of the holy scripture.
- Chap. V. He teacheth him how he shal behaue himselfe in rebukynge all degrees An ordre concernynge wyddowes.
- Chap. VI. The dutye of seruauntes towarde their masters. Agaynst soch as are not satisfied with the worde of God, Agaynst cuvetousnes, A good lesson for riche men.
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Chapter 1
PAul an Apostle of Iesus Christ acordinge to [A] the ⁽¹⁾ commaundement of God oure Sauioure, and of the LORDE Iesus Christ,⁽²⁾ which is oure hope.
Vnto Timothy my naturall sonne in the faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God oure father, and oure LORDE Iesus Christ.
As I besoughte yᵉ to abyde still at Ephesus (⁽³⁾ whan I departed in to Macedonia) euē so do, that thou commaunde some, that they teach none other wyse, ⁽⁴⁾ nether geue hede to fables and genealogies, which are endlesse, and brede doutes more then godly edifyenge, which is by faith.⁽⁵⁾ For yᵉ chefe summe of the commaundement is loue of a pure hert, and of a good cōscience, and of faith vnfayned. From the which some haue erred, & haue turned vnto vayne iangelynge, wyllinge to be doctours of the scripture, and vnderstonde not what they speake, nether wherof they affirme.
⁽⁶⁾ But we knowe that the lawe is good,[B] yf a man vse it laufully, vnderstōdinge this, ⁽⁷⁾ that the lawe is not geuen vnto the righteous, but to the vnrighteous & dishobedient, to the vngodly & to synners, to the vnholy & vncleane, to murthurers of fathers and murthurers of mothers, to manslayers, to whoremongers,⁽⁸⁾ to thē that defyle them selues with mankynde, to menstealers, to lyars, to periured, & so forth yf there be eny other thinge yᵗ is cōtrary to yᵉ wholsome doctryne, acordinge to yᵉ Gospell of yᵉ glory of the blessed God, which (Gospell) is cōmytted vnto me.
And I thanke Christ Iesus oʳ LORDE, which hath made me strōge, for he counted me faithfull, & put me in office, whā before I was a blasphemer,⁽⁹⁾ & a persecuter, & a tyraunt: but I optayned mercy, because I dyd it ignorauntly in vnbeleue. Neuertheles the grace of oʳ LORDE was more abūdaunt thorow yᵉ faith & loue which is in Christ Iesu.
[C] For this is a true sayenge, and by all meanes worthy to be receaued, ⁽¹⁰⁾ that Christ Iesus came in to yᵉ worlde to saue synners, of whom I am chefe. Notwithstondynge for this cause optayned I mercy, that Iesus Christ mighte pryncipally shewe in me all longe pacience, to the ensample of them which shulde beleue in him vnto eternall life. So then vnto God kynge euerlastinge, immortall and ⁽¹¹⁾ invisible, and wyse onely, be honoure and prayse for euer and euer Amen.
This commaundement commytte I vnto the (my sonne Timotheus) acordinge to yᵉ prophecies which in tyme past were prophecied of the, that thou in them shuldest fighte a good fighte, hauynge faith & good conscience, which some haue put awaye frō them, and as concernynge faith haue made shypwrake: of whose nombre is ⁽¹²⁾ Hymeneos and ⁽¹³⁾ Alexander, ⁽¹⁴⁾ whom I haue delyuered vnto Sathan, that they might be taught, nomore to blaspheme.
Notes to Chapter 1
⁽¹⁾ Act. 9. b
⁽²⁾ 1. Tess. 1. a
⁽³⁾ Act. 19.20.
⁽⁴⁾ 2. Tim 2. c Tit. 3. b
⁽⁵⁾ Rom. 13. b Gal. 6. a
⁽⁶⁾ Rom. 7. b
⁽⁷⁾ Gal. 5. c
⁽⁸⁾ Rom. 1. d
⁽⁹⁾ Act 9. a Gal. 1. b
⁽¹⁰⁾ Mat. 9. b Ioh. ⟨illegible⟩. c
⁽¹¹⁾ Col. 1. b
⁽¹²⁾ 2. Tim 2. b 2. Tim 4. b
⁽¹³⁾ 2. Tim 2. b 2. Tim 4. b
⁽¹⁴⁾ 1. Cor. 5. a
Chapter 2
[A] I Exhorte therfore, yᵗ aboue all thinges, prayers, supplicacions, intercessions and geuynge of thākes be had for all men ⁽¹⁾ for kynges, and for all that are in auctorite, that we maye lyue a quyete & peaceable life in all godlynes and honestie. For that is good and accepted in yᵉ sighte of God oure Sauioure, which wil haue all men saued, and to come vnto the knowlege of yᵉ trueth. For there is one God, and ⁽²⁾ one mediatour betwene God and men, (namely) the man Christ Iesus, which gaue him selfe a raunsome for all men, that at his tyme it shulde be preached, wherevnto ⁽³⁾I am ordeyned a preacher & an Apostle (I tell yᵉ trueth in Christ and lye not) a teacher of the Heythē in faith and in the trueth.
[B] I wil therfore that men praye ⁽⁴⁾ in all places, liftinge vp pure hādes without wrath or dowtynge.⁽⁵⁾ Likewyse also the wemen, that they araye them selues in comly apparell with shamfastnes and discrete behaueoʳ, not with broyded heer, or golde, or perles, or costly araye: but with soch as it becommeth wemē that professe godlynes thorow good workes. ⁽⁶⁾ Let the woman lerne in sylēce with all subieccion. I suffre not a womā to teach ⁽⁷⁾ ner to haue auctorite ouer the man, but for to be in sylence. For Adam was first formed, and thē Eue: Adam also was not disceaued, but the woman was disceaued, and hath brought in the trāsgression. Notwitstondynge thorow bearynge of children she shalbe saued, yf she contynue in faith and in loue & in the sanctifyenge with discrecion.
Notes to Chapter 2
⁽¹⁾ Iere. 29 b Baruc. 1. c
⁽²⁾ Heb. 9. c
⁽³⁾ Rom 1. a 2. Tim. 1. b
⁽⁴⁾ Ioh. 4. c
⁽⁵⁾ Tit. 2. a 1 Pet. 3. a
⁽⁶⁾ 1. Co. 14. e
⁽⁷⁾ Gen. 3. c Ephe. 5. c
Chapter 3
THis is a true sayēge: Yf a mā covet [A] yᵉ office of a Biszhoppe, he desyreth a good worke. But a Biszhoppe must be blamelesse, ⁽¹⁾ the huszbāde of one wife, sober, discrete, manerly, harberous,⁽²⁾ apte to teach: Not geuen to moch wyne, no fighter, not geuen to filthy lucre: but gentle, abhorrynge stryfe, abhorrynge couetousnes: & one that ruleth his awne house honestly, hauynge obedient children with all honestye. (But yf a man can not rule his owne house, how shal he care for the congregacion of God?) He maye not be a yōge scolar, left he be puft vp, and fall in to the iudgment of yᵉ euell speaker. He must also haue a good reporte of them which are without, lest he fall in to the rebuke and snare of the euell speaker.
Likewyse must the ⁽³⁾ mynisters be honest,[B] not double tonged, not geuen to moch wyne, nether vnto fylthie lucre, but hauynge the mystery of faith in pure conscience. And let them first be proued, and then let them mynister, yf they be blamelesse.
Euen so must their wyues be honest, not euell speakers, but sober and faithfull in all thinges. Let the mynisters be, euery one the huszbāde of one wyfe, and soch as rule their children well, and their owne housholdes. ⁽⁴⁾ For they that mynister well, get them selues a good degree and greate libertye in the faith which is in Christ Iesu.
These thinges wryte I vnto the, trustinge shortly to come vnto the: but yf I tary lōge, that then thou mayest yet haue knowlege, how thou oughtest to behaue thy selfe in Gods house, which is the congregacion of the lyuynge God, the piler and grounde of trueth: and without naye, greate is that mystery of godlynes. ⁽⁵⁾ God was shewed in the flesh: was iustified in the sprete: ⁽⁶⁾ was sene of angels: was preached vnto the Heythen: was beleued on in the worlde: ⁽⁷⁾ was receaued vp in glory.
Notes to Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
THe sprete speaketh euydently, ⁽¹⁾ that [A] in yᵉ latter tymes some shal ⁽²⁾ departe from the faith, and shal geue hede vnto spretes of erroure, and deuelish doctrynes, of them which speake false thorow ypocrysie, and haue their cōscience marked with an whote yron, forbyddinge to mary, and cōmaundynge to abstayne frō the meates, which God hath created to be receaued wᵗ geuynge thankes of them which beleue and knowe the trueth. ⁽³⁾ For euery creature off God is good, and nothinge to be refused, yᵗ is receaued with thankesgeuynge: for it is sanctifyed by the worde of God and prayer. Yf thou shalt put the brethren in remembraunce of these thinges, thou shalt be a good mynister of Iesu Christ, ⁽⁴⁾which hast bene norished vp in the wordes of faith and of good doctryne, which thou hast folowed hither to.
[B] ⁽⁵⁾ As for vngoostly and olde wyuesh fables, cast them awaye, but exercyse thy selfe vnto godlynes. For bodely exercyse profyteth litle, but godlynes is profytable vnto all thinges, as a thinge which hath promyses of the life that is now, and of the life for to come. This is a sure sayenge, & of all partes worthy to be receaued. For therfore we laboure and suffre rebuke, because we hope in the lyuynge God, which is the Sauioure of all men, but specially of those that beleue. Soch thinges commaunde thou and teach. ⁽⁶⁾ Let no man despyse yᵉ youth,⁽⁷⁾ but be thou vnto them that beleue, an ensample, in worde, in cōuersacion, in loue, in yᵉ sprete, in faith, in purenesse.
Geue attendaunce to readynge, to exhortacion, to doctryne, vntyll I come. Be not necligent in the gifte that is geuen the thorow prophecye,⁽⁸⁾ with layēge on of the handes of the Elders. These thinges exercyse, and geue thy selfe vnto them, that thine increace maye be manifest vnto euery man. Take hede vnto thy selfe, and to learnynge, cōtynue in these thinges. For yf thou so do, thou shalt saue thy selfe, and them that hearethe.
Notes to Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
[A] EEbuke not an Elder, but exhorte him as a father: and the yōger men as brethren: the elder wemen as mothers: the yonger as sisters with all purenes. Honoʳ wedowes, which are true wedowes. Yf eny wedowe haue children or neves, let them lerne first to rule their awne houses godly, and to recompence their elders. For yᵗ is good & acceptable before God. ⁽¹⁾ But she that is a right wedowe, & desolate, putteth hir trust in God, & cōtynueth in prayer and supplicacion nighte and daye. But she that lyueth in pleasures, is deed, euen yet a lyne. And these thinges commaunde, that they maye be without blame. ⁽²⁾ But yf there be eny man that prouydeth not for his awne, and specially for them of his houszholde, the same hath denyed the faith, and ⁽³⁾ is worse then an infydele.
Let no wedowe be chosen vnder thre score [B] yeare olde, and soch one as was yᵉ wife of one man, and well reported of in good workes, yf she haue brought vp children well, yf she haue bene ⁽⁴⁾ harberous, yf she haue wasshed the sayntes fete, yf she haue mynistred vnto thē which were in aduersite, yf she were continually geuen to all maner of good workes. But yᵉ yonger wedowes refuse. For whan they haue begonne to waxe wanton agaynst Christ, then wil they mary, hauynge their damnacion, because they haue brokē yᵉ first faith. Besydes this they are ydell, and lerne to runne aboute frō house to house. ⁽⁵⁾ Not onely are they ydell, but also tryflinge & busy bodies, speakynge thinges which are not comly.
⁽⁶⁾I wil therfore that the yonger wemen mary, beare children, gyde the house, to geue yᵉ aduersary no occasion to speake euell. For some are turned back allready after Sathā. Yf eny man or woman that beleueth haue wedowes, let them make prouysion for thē, and let not the congregacion be charged: that they which are righte wedowes, maye haue ynough.
The Elders that rule well, are worthy of [C] double honoure, most specially they which laboure in the worde & in teachinge. For yᵉ scripture sayeth: ⁽⁷⁾ Thou shalt not mosell the mouth of yᵉ oxe yᵗ treadeth out yᵉ corne. And: ⁽⁸⁾ The labourer is worthy of his rewarde.
⁽⁹⁾ Agaynst an Elder receaue none accusacion, but vnder two or thre witnesses. Thē that synne, rebuke in the presence of all, that other also maye feare.
I testifye before God and the LORDE Iesus Christ, and yᵉ electe angels, that thou obserue these thinges without haistie iudgment, and do nothinge parcially. Laye hondes sodenly on no mā, nether be partaker of other mēs synnes. Kepe yᵉ selfe pure.⁽¹⁰⁾ Drynke no lenger water, but vse a litle wyne for yᵉ stomackes sake, and because thou art oft tymes sicke. Some mēs synnes are opē, so that they maye be iudged afore hande: but some mens (synnes) shal be manifest herafter. Likewyse also good workes are manifest afore hāde: and they that are other wyse can not be hyd.
Notes to Chapter 5
⁽¹⁾ ⟨illegible⟩
⁽²⁾ ⟨illegible⟩
⁽³⁾ 1. Pet. 2. d
⁽⁴⁾ 1. Pet. 4. b
⁽⁵⁾ Tit. 2. a
⁽⁶⁾ 1. Cor. 7. a
⁽⁷⁾ Deut. 25. a 1. Cor. 9. b
⁽⁸⁾ Mat 10. a
⁽⁹⁾ Deut. 19 c
⁽¹⁰⁾ Eccli. 31. d
Chapter 6
LEt as many seruauntes as are vnder the yocke, counte their masters worthy of all honoure, that the name of God and his doctrine be not euell spoken of. Se that they which haue beleuynge masters, despyse them not because they are brethrē, but rather do seruyce, for so moch as they are beleuynge, and beloued, and partakers of the benefite.
These thinges teach and exhorte. Yf eny mā teach otherwyse, and agreeth not vnto the wholsome wordes of oure LORDE Iesus Christ, and to the doctryne of godlynes, he is puft vp, and knoweth nothinge, but waysteth his brayne aboute questions and stryuynges of wordes:⁽¹⁾ wherof sprynge envye, stryfe, raylinges, euell surmysinges, vayne disputaciōs of soch men as haue corrupte myndes, ⁽²⁾ and are robbed of the trueth, which thynke that godlynes is lucre: From [B] soch separate thy selfe. Howbeit it is greate avaūtage, who so is godly,⁽³⁾ and holdeth him content with that he hath. ⁽⁴⁾ For we broughte nothinge in to the worlde, therfore is it a playne case yᵗ we can cary nothinge out. ⁽⁵⁾ Whan we haue fode and rayment, let vs therwith be content. ⁽⁶⁾ For they that wylbe riche, fall in to the tēptacion and snare, and in to many foliszhe & noysome lustes, which drowne men in destruccion and damnacion. For Couetousnes is the rote of all euell, which whyle some lusted after, they erred from the faith, and tangled them selues with many sorowes.
[C] ⁽⁷⁾ But thou man of God, flye soche thinges: folowe righteousnes, godlynes, faith, loue, pacience, mekenes: fighte a good fighte of faith: laye honde on eternall life, where vnto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
I geue the charge before God, ⁽⁸⁾ which quyckeneth all thinges, & before Iesu Christ, which vnder Pontius Pilate witnessed a good witnessynge, that thou kepe the commaundement, without spot, vnreproueable, vntyll the appearynge of oure LORDE Iesus Christ, which appearynge (at his tyme) he shal shewe that is blessed, and mightie onely, ⁽⁹⁾ the kynge of all kynges, and LORDE of all lordes: which onely hath immortalite, and dwelleth in a lighte, that no man can attayne: ⁽¹⁰⁾ whom no man hath sene, nether can se. Vnto whom be honoure and empyre euerlastinge, Amen.
[D] Charge thē which are riche in this worlde, that they be not proude, ner trust in the vncertayne riches, but in the lyuynge God (which geueth vs abundauntly all thinges to enioye them:) That they do good: that they be rich in good workes: that they geue and distribute with a good wyll: ⁽¹¹⁾ gatherynge vp treasure for them selues, a good foundacion, agaynst yᵉ tyme to come, that they maye laye honde on eternall life.
O Timothy, kepe that which is committed vnto the, and avoyde vngoostly vayne wordes, and opposicions of science falsly so called, which whyle some professed, they haue erred as concernynge the faith. Grace be with the, Amen.
Wrytten from Laodicea, which is the chefest cite of Phrigia Pacaciana.
Notes to Chapter 6
⁽¹⁾ Tit. 3. b
⁽²⁾ 2. Tess. 2. b
⁽³⁾ Pro. 15. b Heb. 13. a
⁽⁴⁾ Iob. 1. c
⁽⁵⁾ Eccli. 29. d
⁽⁶⁾ Pro. 23. a Mat. 13 c
⁽⁷⁾ 2. Tim. 2. c
⁽⁸⁾ 1. Reg. 2. b Act. 17. e
⁽⁹⁾ Apo. 17. c and 19. c
⁽¹⁰⁾ Ioh. 1. b 1. Ioh. 4. b
⁽¹¹⁾ Mat. ⟨illegible⟩. e
Colophon
This page is an archival transcription of the printed text, not a Good Works Translation. Source: Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe (M.D.XXXV; STC 2063.3), translated by Myles Coverdale, the copy in Cambridge University Library, keyed and encoded by the Text Creation Partnership (EEBO-TCP Phase I, text A10349, 2005) and released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 public-domain dedication.
2 places illegible in the Cambridge copy were filled from Samuel Bagster’s 1838 page-for-page reprint of the edition (archive.org, holyscriptures00cove), only where the reprint’s reading is certain; each fill is listed on this room’s Supplied Readings page; 19 places are still marked ⟨illegible⟩ (0 in the text, 19 in the marginal notes).
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