OET interlinear 1TIM 3:12

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative3p

διάκονοι ἔστωσαν

servants ˱them˲_let_be

If your language does not use the third-person imperative in this way, you could state this in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Deacons should be”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διάκονοι

servants

After speaking about “women” in the previous verse, Paul could be using the word deacons to refer to: (1) male deacons. Alternate translation: “male deacons” (2) all deacons. Alternate translation: “all deacons”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

μιᾶς γυναικὸς ἄνδρες

˱of˲_one wife husbands

Paul used a very similar phrase in 3:2, and you should express the idea as you did there. He could mean that deacons: (1) each must be sexually faith to one woman, his wife. Alternate translation: “men who are faithful to their wives” (2) each must have no more than one wife at a time. Alternate translation: “husbands of only one wife at a time” (3) each must have been married no more than once, even if the marriage ended in divorce or death. Alternate translation: “men who have been married only once”

προϊστάμενοι

leading

Alternate translations: “managing” or “taking care of”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τέκνων & καὶ τῶν ἰδίων οἴκων

˱of˲_/their/_children & and ˱of˲_their own households

The phrase children and their own households is not making a distinction between children and households by indicating that the children are not part of the household. Rather, the phrase emphasizes that the children are a particularly important part of the households. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: “children and the rest of their own households” or “their own households, and particularly their children,”