9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been ^mthe wife of one husband,¹ 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has ⁿwashed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and ^obusybodies, saying what they should not. 14 ^pSo I would have younger widows marry, ^qbear children, ^rmanage their households, and ^sgive the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already ^tstrayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.