Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to arouse faith in those whom God has chosen, and the comprehension of religious truth,

in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal;

Who, in his time, made clear his word in the good news, of which, by the order of God our Saviour, I became a preacher;

[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.

I left you behind in Crete expressly to correct what defects there were, and to appoint elders in each town, as I directed you??6 men of irreproachable character, who have been married only once, whose children are Christians, free from any suspicion of profligacy or disobedience.

if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children that believe, who are not accused of riot or unruly.

For the bishop must be blame less, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not passionate, not fond of wine, not quarrelsome, not one who makes money by base means;

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

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy word [of God] as it was taught to him, so that he will be able both to give accurate instruction in sound [reliable, error-free] doctrine and to refute those who contradict [it by explaining their error].

For there are many rebellious men who are empty talkers [just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved].

Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."

not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

To the pure all [things] [are] pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing [is] pure, but both their mind and conscience are defiled.

that the elder women in like manner be in deportment as becoming those who have to say to sacred things, not slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is right;

a sound word, not to be condemned; that he who is opposed may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us:

For the grace of God who saves, was manifested to all men,

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Remind people that they must submit to the rulers who are in authority over them; that they must obey the magistrates, be prepared for every right action,

whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Faithful is the saying, and concerning these things I desire that thou affirm confidently, to the end that they who have believed God may be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men:

After a first and second warning reject a divisive man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension—ban him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him],

having known that he hath been subverted who is such, and doth sin, being self-condemned.

And let those also who belong to us learn to practise good works for the necessary wants that arise, that they may not be unfruitful.

All with me salute thee. Salute those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.