1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the supernatural belief and trust of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
2 In divinely inspired expectation of genuine and absolute fullness of life of the Kingdom Age, which God, Who cannot lie, promised before the time of the age
3 But has in due times obviously visible his utterance through impartation of Jesus Christ by proclamation, which is entrusted to me coming down from the mandate of God our Savior;
4 To Titus, my own son after the common supernatural belief and trust, divine power for righteousness, holiness, and redemption, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
5 For this cause left I you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you;
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the manager of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful utterance as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince those who contradict, oppose, refuse to obey, and declare themselves against God's ways. *
10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.
12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.
13 This witness is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the supernatural belief and trust,
14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth.
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate.