Montgomery - Titus - 1

1:1  To Titus, my true son in a common faith, from Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and to the knowledge of the truth which goes with piety;

1:2  I write in hope of life eternal which God who never lies, promised before times eternal,

1:3  but manifested in his own time; that word of his in proclaiming which I have been entrusted by command of God our Saviour.

1:4  Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

1:5  I left you in Crete for this reason, that you might set right the things left unfinished, and appoint presbyters in every city as I had instructed you;

1:6  men who are blameless, the husband of one wife, with believing children who are not accused of riot or insubordination.

1:7  For indeed a presiding officer, as God’s steward, ought to be blameless, not self-willed or quick-tempered, not a drunkard or violent, or greedy of filthy lucre;

1:8  but he must be hospitable, a lover of the good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled.

1:9  He must hold to the faithful word according to the teaching, so that he may be able both to encourage by sound teaching, and to confute our opponents.

1:10  For there are many individuals who are unruly, empty talkers and deceivers, particularly those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped;

1:11  for they upset whole households and, for filthy lucre’s sake, teach what they ought not to teach.

1:12  By one of their own number, by a prophet of their own, it has been said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, idle gluttons."

1:13  This testimony is true. So rebuke them sharply,

1:14  so as to make them sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

1:15  All things are pure to the pure; but to the contaminated and the faithless nothing is pure, nay, their very minds and consciences are tainted.

1:16  They profess to know God, but by their deeds they disown him; in that they are detestable, disobedient, and reprobate for good work of any sort.