Greeting

1Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the elect of God and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,

2in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time itself,

3but has in due time manifested His word in a proclamation, with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our Savior;

4To Titus, my own son according to our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Qualification for Elders

5For this reason I left you behind in Crete, so that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and you should appoint elders in every city as I commanded you:

6if a man is unimpeachable, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or who are insubordinate.

7For a bishop must be unimpeachable, as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,

8but hospitable, loving good, prudent, just, holy, temperate,

9holding fast to the faithful word as he was taught, that he may be able to exhort by sound doctrine, and to convince those who oppose it.

The Elders' Task

10For there are also many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,

11whom it is necessary to shut their mouths, who overturn whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.

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

13This testimony is true; for which cause rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

14not giving heed to Jewish myths and to commands of men turning away from the truth.

15All things indeed are pure to the pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience have been defiled.

16They profess to know God, but in their works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.