Their wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
Both the KJV and Nestle Greek-English New Testament translate the word "wives" instead of "women" in this verse, and that is doubtless the correct rendition.  It is alleged that the word "women" is ambiguous in the Greek, and well it may be; but in context the word has to mean wives.  To make it read "female deacons" is a gross transgression of the word of God. This verse says absolutely nothing about any female deacons; and the supposition that it does would mean that no qualifications whatever are laid down for the wives of elders and deacons, a fault that no man has the right to charge against the apostle Paul.  This verse on the qualities of officers' wives is absolutely mandatory to be observed.  The wrong kind of wife can ruin any elder or any deacon; and to make the qualifications in sight here applicable to a whole new class of church officials would be to make Paul guilty of a very glaring omission.