¹ Paul, a bondman of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the chosen of God, and the knowledge of truth according to piety,

² in hope of eternal life, which the non-lying God promised before times eternal,

³ but in his own times he made known his word by preaching, which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,

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

⁵ I left thee behind in Crete on account of this: That thou should set in order the things lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded thee,

⁶ if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having believing children, not with an accusation of debauchery or insubordinate.

⁷ For the overseer must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not a fighter, not greedy of base gain,

⁸ but a lover of strangers, a lover of good, serious minded, just, devout, self-controlled,

⁹ holding firm the faithful word according to the teaching, so that he may also be able to exhort by the sound doctrine, and to correct those who contradict.

¹⁰ For there are also many insubordinate men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those from circumcision,

¹¹ who must be muzzled, men who subvert whole houses, teaching things that they ought not, for sake of ugly profit.

¹² A certain man of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy bellies.

¹³ This testimony is true, because of which reason, reprove them harshly, so that they may be sound in the faith,

¹⁴ not giving heed to Jewish myths, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

¹⁵ Truly 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 in their works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and worthless for every good work.