1:1 Paul, bondman of God, and apostle of Jesus Christ according to [the] faith of God's elect, and knowledge of [the] truth which [is] according to piety;
1:2 in [the] hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the ages of time,
1:3 but has manifested in its own due season his word, in [the] proclamation with which *I* have been entrusted, according to [the] commandment of our Saviour God;
1:4 to Titus, my own child according to [the] faith common [to us]: Grace and peace from God [the] Father, and Christ Jesus our Saviour.
1:5 For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou mightest go on to set right what remained [unordered], and establish elders in each city, as *I* had ordered thee:
1:6 if any one be free from all charge [against him], husband of one wife, having believing children not accused of excess or unruly.
1:7 For the overseer must be free from all charge [against him] as God's steward; not headstrong, not passionate, not disorderly through wine, not a striker, not seeking gain by base means;
1:8 but hospitable, a lover of goodness, discreet, just, pious, temperate,
1:9 clinging to the faithful word according to the doctrine taught, that he may be able both to encourage with soundteaching and refute gainsayers.
1:10 For there are many and disorderly vain speakers and deceivers of people's minds, specially those of [the] circumcision,
1:11 who must have their mouths stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which ought not [to be taught] for the sake of base gain.
1:12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said, Cretans are always liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons.
1:13 This testimony is true; for which cause rebuke them severely, that they may be sound in the faith,
1:14 not turning [their] minds to Jewish fables and commandments of men turning away from the truth.
1:15 All things [are] pure to the pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing [is] pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
1:16 They profess to know God, but in works deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and found worthless as to every good work.
