Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the
sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth,
which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God,
who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper
time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have
been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
To Titus, my true child in a common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what
remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed
you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his
children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or
insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above
reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard
or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good,
self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm
to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who
contradict it.
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and
deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be
silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for
shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a
prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts,
lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them
sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting
themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away
from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the
defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and
their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they
deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit
for any good work.
