1 Timothy 5:4

5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty ¹  toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. ²  For this is what pleases God. ³ 

1 Timothy 5:13

5:13 And besides that, going around ⁴  from house to house they learn to be lazy, ⁵  and they are not only lazy, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things they should not. ⁶ 

1 Timothy 5:16

5:16 If a believing woman ⁷  has widows in her family, ⁸  let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need. ⁹ 

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¹ tn Or “to practice their religion.”

² tn Or “and so make some repayment to their parents”; Grk “and to give back recompense to their parents.”

³ tn Grk “for this is pleasing in the sight of God.”

⁴ tn L&N 15.23 suggests the meaning, “to move about from place to place, with significant changes in direction – ‘to travel about, to wander about.’”

⁵ tn Or “idle.” The whole clause (“going around from house to house, they learn to be lazy”) reverses the order of the Greek. The present participle περιερχόμεναι (periercomenai) may be taken as temporal (“while going around”), instrumental (“by going around”) or result (“with the result that they go around”).

⁶ tn Grk “saying the things that are unnecessary.” Or perhaps “talking about things that are none of their business.”

⁷ tc Most witnesses (D Ψ Ï sy) have πιστὸς ἤ (pisto" h) before πιστή (pisth), with the resultant meaning “if a believing man or woman.” But such looks to be a motivated reading, perhaps to bring some parity to the responsibilities of men and women listed here, and as a way of harmonizing with v. 4. Further, most of the earliest and best witnesses (א A C F G P 048 33 81 1175 1739 1881 co) lack the πιστὸς ἤ, strengthening the preference for the shorter reading.

⁸ tn Grk “has widows.”

⁹ tn Grk “the real widows,” “those who are really widows.”