1 Greetings and Grace Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, 1:1 Or according to for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,
2 in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised 1:2 Lit before times eternal from all eternity,
3 but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,
4 To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.Qualifications of Elders
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
6 namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful children,who arenot accused of dissipation, or rebellious.
7 For the 1:7Or bishop overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain,
8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,
9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict.
10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should notteachfor the sake of dishonest gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but bytheirworks they denyHim, being detestable and disobedient and unfit for any good work.