Paul’s Letter to Titus
1 Paul, servant of God, and Jesus Christ’s delegate for the matter of the faith of God’s chosen and their awareness of truth along the line of piety 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who has no falsehoods, promised ages ago 3* but disclosed his word at the right time by a proclamation with which I was entrusted by order of God our savior, 4 to Titus my very own child by common faith, grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
5* I left you in Crete for this purpose, to have you straighten out what remained to be seen to and appoint elders in the different cities as I directed you— 6 anyone who is of blameless reputation, husband of one wife, having believing children not under accusations of debauchery nor insubordinate. 7 For the church visitor must be of blameless reputation as God’s steward, not high and mighty, not hot-tempered, not disorderly over his wine, not apt to come to blows, not mercenary, 8 but hospitable, loving whatever is good, discreet, honest, godly, master of his appetites, 9 in touch with the trustworthy ideas that agree with the teaching, in order that he may be able both to exhort in sound instruction and to confute opponents. 10 For there are many, insubordinate gabblers and delusionists, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whom one must silence,—people who wreck whole families, teaching from mercenary motives what ought not to be taught. 12 One of them, a prophet of their very own, said
“The Cretans, ever liars, vile cattle, idle maws.” 13 This testimony is a true one. For which reason show up their errors rigorously in order that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving their attention to Jewish fictions and the commandments of human beings who turn their backs on the truth. 15 Everything is clean for clean men; but for polluted unbelievers nothing is clean, but both their mind and their conscience are polluted. 16** They avow that they know God, but in their acts they disavow it, being abominated and disobedient and worthless for any good purpose.
2 But as for you, speak what is appropriate to sound teaching: 2 that aged men be sober, dignified, discreet, sound in faith, in love, in constancy; 3* aged women, in the same way, saintlike in demeanor, not scandalmongers nor slaves to drink, good advisers 4 in order that they may train the young women to be affectionate to their husbands, affectionate to their children, 5 discreet, pure, homemakers, kind, submissive to their husbands, in order that God’s word may not be made a butt for vilification. 6 In the same way exhort the younger men to be discreet about everything, 7 setting an example of good works yourself, presenting in your teaching untaintedness, dignity, 8* irreprovable sound words, in order that he who takes the opposite side may be shamed by not having anything harsh to say about us; 9 servants to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasant, not talking back, 10 not purloining but showing all good faithfulness, in order that they may in every respect adorn the teaching of God our savior.
11 For God’s grace has come on the scene with salvation for all men, 12 schooling us to disown impiety and mundane desires and live discreetly and honestly and piously in the present world, 13 watching for the blessed hope and oncoming of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and cleanse for himself a people specially his own, zealous for good works. 15* Speak these things and exhort to them and see to people’s conformity to them, with all imperativeness; let nobody make light of you.
3* Remind them to be submissive and obedient to governments and authorities, to be ready for every good work, 2 to vilify nobody, to keep out of fights, to be reasonable and show all gentleness toward all men. 3 For we ourselves were once stupid, disobedient, drifters, in servitude to varied desires and pleasures, leading a life of viciousness and envy, odious, hating each other; 4 but when kindness and goodwill came on from our savior God, 5 not as the outcome of deeds in righteousness that we did but in the way of his mercy he saved us by the bath of rebirth and renovation by the Holy Spirit, 6 which he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7* in order that being justified by his grace we might become heirs with hope of eternal life.
8* The saying is a trustworthy one, and about these things I want you to be positive, in order that those who have believed God may take care to practice good works. These things are good and useful to men; 9 but stand away from foolish arguments and tracings of genealogies and quarreling and fights over the law, for they are useless and futile. 10* Have nothing more to do with a troublemaker after one and a second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning when he is self-condemned.
12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, try to come to me promptly at Nicopolis; for I have decided to be there through the winter. 13 Give Zenas the legist and Apollos your best send-off so that they shall have no lack of anything. 14* And let our people also learn to practice good works for occasions of emergency, so that they may not be unfruitful.
15 All who are with me send you greetings. Give my greetings to those who love us in faith. Grace be with you all.
MARGINAL NOTES TO TITUS
1:3 Lit. at its own times
1:5 Lit. straighten out what remains and appoint
1:16 Or disavow him, being Lit. disavow, being
1:16 Lit. any good work
2:3 Lit. nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good in order that
2:8 Lit. uncondemnable
2:15 Or Speak these things, and exhort and reprove with
3:1 Lit. submissive, obedient, to governments, authorities
3:7 Lit. heirs in the way of hope of
3:8 Lit. do a business of good works
3:10 Lit. Ask to be excused from a faction-pushing man after
3:14 Lit. do a business of good works