4 But ^pwe will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

23 And when they had ^pappointed ^qelders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting ^rthey committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when ^mPriscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him ⁿthe way of God more accurately.

28 ^lPay careful attention to yourselves and to all ^mthe flock, in which ⁿthe Holy Spirit has made you ^ooverseers, ^pto care for ^qthe church of God,¹ which he ^robtained ^swith his own blood.² 29 I ^rknow that after my departure ^tfierce wolves will come in among you, ^unot sparing the flock; 30 and ^vfrom among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore ^wbe alert, remembering that ^xfor three years I did not cease night or day ^yto admonish every one ^zwith tears.

Personal Greetings

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant¹ of the church at ^pCenchreae, 2 that you ^qmay welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

3 Greet ^rPrisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also ^sthe church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was ^tthe first convert² to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.

11 And ^mhe gave the ⁿapostles, the prophets, the ^oevangelists, the ^pshepherds¹ and teachers,²

12 ^qto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^rbuilding up ^sthe body of Christ,

12 ^pI do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

17 Let the elders ^zwho rule well be considered worthy of ^adouble honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Qualifications for Elders

5 ^oThis is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and ^pappoint elders in every town as I directed you—

3 ^qOlder women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, ^rnot slanderers ^sor slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, ^tpure, ^uworking at home, kind, and ^vsubmissive to their own husbands, ^wthat the word of God may not be reviled.

Shepherd the Flock of God

1 So I exhort the elders among you, ^mas a fellow elder and ⁿa witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 ^oshepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{1 p}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{2 q}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not ^rdomineering over those in your charge, but ^sbeing examples to the flock.