¹Paul , a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ , according to the faith of God ’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness ,[#1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One”.]

²in hope of eternal life , which God , who can’t lie, promised before time began ;

³but in his own time revealed his word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Saviour ,

⁴to Titus , my true child according to a common faith : Grace , mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour .

⁵I left you in Crete for this reason , that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city , as I directed you —

⁶if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife , having children who believe , who are not accused of loose or unruly behaviour.

⁷For the overseer must be blameless, as God ’s steward , not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine , not violent , not greedy for dishonest gain;

⁸but given to hospitality , a lover of good , sober minded, fair, holy , self-controlled ,

⁹holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching , that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine , and to convict those who contradict him .

¹⁰For there are also many unruly men , vain talkers and deceivers , especially those of the circumcision ,

¹¹whose mouths must be stopped : men who overthrow whole houses , teaching things which they ought not , for dishonest gain ’s sake .

¹²One of them , a prophet of their own , said , “Cretans are always liars , evil beasts , and idle gluttons .”

¹³This testimony is true . For this cause , reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith ,

¹⁴not paying attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

¹⁵To 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 .

¹⁶They profess that they know God , but by their deeds they deny him , being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work .