Titus 1 — AAB

Paul’s Greeting to Titus

1Verse 1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,^{Verse 2}in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.^{+Verse 3}In His own time He has made His word evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.^{Verse 4}To Titus, my true child in our common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Appointing Elders on Crete

^{Verse 5}The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.^{Verse 6}An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife,⁺having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.^{Verse 7}As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.^{Verse 8}Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.^{Verse 9}He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

Correcting False Teachers

^{Verse 10}For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,^{Verse 11}who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.^{Verse 12}As one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”^{+Verse 13}This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith^{Verse 14}and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.^{Verse 15}To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.^{Verse 16}They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.