1 Paul a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, in things concerning the faith of God's elect, and the knowledge of the truth which is after godliness,
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began;
3 And he hath in due time manifested his word, thro' the preaching wherewith I am intrusted, according to the commandment of God our Saviour:
4 To Titus my own son after the common faith, grace, mercy, peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
5 For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou mightest set in order the things which remain, and ordain elders in every city, as I appointed thee:
6 If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of luxury or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not passionate, not given to wine, no striker, not desirous of filthy gain:
8 But a lover of strangers, a lover of good men, prudent, just, holy, temperate, Holding fast the faithful word,
9 as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
10 For there are many unruly vain-talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision,
11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole families, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of filthy gain.
12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, hath said, The Cretans are always liars, evil wild-beasts, lazy gluttons.
13 This witness is true; therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
15 To the clean all things are clean; but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing is clean; but both their understanding and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess to know God, but by their works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and void of judgment as to every good work.