1 Timothy 4

¹But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,

²through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;

³forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth.

⁴For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:

⁵for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

⁶If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed until now:

⁷but refuse profane and old wives’ fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness:

⁸for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.

⁹Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation.

¹⁰For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.

¹¹These things command and teach.

¹²Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.

¹³Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.

¹⁴Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

¹⁵Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.

¹⁶Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.