Titus 1 — TCENT

Greeting

1Verse 1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, appointed to further the faith of God's chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness,^{Verse 2}in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before time began;^{Verse 3}in his own time he revealed his word through the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior;^{Verse 4}to Titus, my true child in our common faith:⁺Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and⁺the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

Qualifications for Elders

^{Verse 5}The reason I left yoʋ in Crete was for yoʋ to put in order what remained to be done and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed yoʋ.^{Verse 6}An elder must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not rebellious and cannot be accused of debauchery.^{Verse 7}For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for sordid gain,^{Verse 8}but hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, just, holy, and self-controlled,^{Verse 9}holding firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others with sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it.^{Verse 10}For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision faction.^{Verse 11}They must be silenced, because they are ruining entire households by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the sake of sordid gain.^{Verse 12}One of their very own prophets said,
“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.”^{Verse 13}This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith,^{Verse 14}not paying any attention to Jewish myths or the commandments of men who turn away from the truth.^{Verse 15}To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.^{Verse 16}They profess to know God, but by their works they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and have proven themselves to be unqualified for any good work.