[This letter is from] Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle for [the benefit of] the faith of God's elect [i.e., His chosen people] and [to spread] the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness,

[and provides] hope for never ending life. God, who cannot lie, promised this [life] before the beginning of time,

but at the proper time revealed [it] through the message entrusted to me to proclaim, by the commandment of God our Savior.

[It is being sent] to Titus, my true son, [who shares] in a common faith. [May you have] unearned favor and peace [which come] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

As God's manager [of the church], an overseer must be free from just blame, not a drunkard, not a fighter [and] not in love with money.

[He must be] hospitable, someone who loves what is good, sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled.

These people claim to know God [as Savior], but they deny Him by their actions, so they are detestable and disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

Older women, likewise, should be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine, teachers of what is good.

to be sensible, [morally] pure, [good] homemakers, kind [and] in subjection to their own husbands, so that God's message will not be spoken against.

In everything [you do], you should show that you are a [proper] example of doing good deeds. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

or keeping [part of their master's] property for themselves, but proving to be completely trustworthy, so that they will make the teaching of God our Savior attractive in every way.

For God's unearned favor has appeared, bringing salvation to all people [i.e., in the coming of Christ].

while looking forward to the blessed hope [i.e., the hope that produces blessings] and the coming splendor of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

He gave Himself up for us, to buy us back from [enslavement to] all [kinds of] wickedness and to purify for Himself a group of people who belong to Him and who are eager to do good deeds.

Remind the people [where you minister] to be in subjection to [civic] rulers, [governmental] authorities, to be obedient [to them], to be prepared for [doing] every good deed,

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared,

He saved us, not because of any good deeds we ourselves had done, but because of His mercy. [He saved us] through the washing of new birth [Note: This refers to our immersion in water] and the renewing [work] of the Holy Spirit,

whom God poured out upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

[This was] so that, being made right with God by His unearned favor, we could have the hope of [possessing our] inheritance of never ending life [in heaven].

This saying is trustworthy and I want you [in your teaching] to affirm these things with confidence, so that those people who have trusted God will be careful to devote themselves to doing good deeds. These things [i.e., just mentioned] are good and profitable for people [to do].

Our people [i.e., the Christians there on Crete] also should learn to practice good deeds for meeting pressing needs, so that they can be productive [in the Lord's work].

All those who are with me send you their greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith [i.e., our fellow Christians]. May God's unearned favor be with all of you.