1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect, and their knowledge of the truth which leads to a godly life, 2In hope of eternal life, which God, Who does not lie, promised before the world began, 3But has now, in due time, revealed His word through preaching, which was entrusted to me by the commandment of God, our Savior; 4To Titus, my own son in our faith that we share: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior.

5I left you on the island of Crete so that you could set in order the things that were unfinished there, and ordain elders in every town, as I had directed. 6An elder must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, with children who are believers, not known to be disobedient or unruly. 7Since a bishop (overseer), as a steward of God, must be blameless (above reproach), not arrogant, quick-tempered, violent, or given to drunkenness (over-indulging in wine), or greedy for money, 8But rather, hospitable, a lover of what is good, self-disciplined, just, holy, temperate; 9Having a firm grasp of the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he is able, by sound doctrine, to encourage faith in the gospel message. but also refute those that oppose it.

10For there are many rebellious people who indulge in foolish or deceptive talk, especially the Jews (those of the circumcision), 11Who must be silenced because they disrupt entire households by teaching false doctrine for financial gain. 12One of Crete’s own prophets have said, “The Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” 13This saying is true. Therefore, sternly reprimand and then correct them, so that they may return to sound faith, 14And pay no attention to Jewish fables, or the commandments of men, that have turned some away from the truth. 15To the pure, all things are pure; but to those whose minds and consciences are corrupted by false beliefs, nothing is pure. 16They claim they know God, but they deny Him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.