Titus

WPNT^{(i) 1} Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the faith of God’s elect and a real knowledge of the truth that accords with godliness, ² in hope of eternal life —which life God, who cannot lie, promised before the ages of time ³ but has manifested by a proclamation of His Word at chosen times, which word was entrusted to me by the command of our Savior God; ⁴ to Titus, a true son in a common faith: Grace, mercy, peace, from Father God and Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. ⁵ I left you in Crete for this reason, that you should set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every town as I directed you ⁶ —if a man is blameless, a one-woman man, having children who believe and who are not open to the charge of being wild or disobedient. ⁷ Because as an administrator under God the overseer must be blameless; not self-willed, not hotheaded, not given to wine, not a bully, not avaricious; ⁸ but rather hospitable, a lover of what is good, prudent, just, holy, disciplined; ⁹ holding fast the trustworthy Word as taught, so that he may be competent both to exhort with the sound doctrine and to correct those who oppose it. ¹⁰ Because there really are lots of rebels, loudmouths and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group, ¹¹ who must be silenced—they are ruining whole households, teaching things that they ought not, and for dishonest gain! ¹² One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore correct them rigorously, that they may be sound in the faith, ¹⁴ not paying attention to Jewish fables or to commands of men who are rejecting the truth. ¹⁵ To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; in fact, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him, being detestable, disobedient and disqualified for any good work.