1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according
to the faith of God’s elect, and the knowledge of the truth which is
according to godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who can’t
lie, promised before eternal times; 3 but in his own time revealed his
word in the message with which I was entrusted according to the commandment
of God our Savior; 4 to Titus, my true child according to a common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our
Savior.
5 I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the
things that were lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed
you; 6 if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children
who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior. 7 For the
overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward; not self-pleasing, not easily
angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain;
8 but given to hospitality, as a lover of good, sober-minded, fair, holy,
self-controlled; 9 holding to the faithful word which is according to the
teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict
those who contradict him. 10 For there are also many unruly men, vain
talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose
mouths must be stopped; men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which
they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake. 12 One of them, a prophet of
their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.”
13 This testimony is true. For this cause, reprove them sharply, that they
may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish fables and
commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 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 that they know God, but by their works they deny him, being
abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.
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