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¹ Paul a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to declare the faith which recommends men to the divine favour, and to convince them of that truth, which leads to piety, ² and gives the expectation of eternal life, which the God of veracity promised so many ages ago; ³ and has in due time manifested by the preaching of his word, which is committed to me according to the commandment of God our saviour: ⁴ TO Titus my own convert to the common faith: grace and peace from God the father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our saviour.

⁵ I left you in Crete, to regulate what was amiss, and to ordain pastors in every city, as I had appointed you,

⁶ to chuse such as are without reproach, married to but one wife, whose children are obedient, not accused of debauchery, nor unruly. ⁷ for a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not morose, not soon angry, not given to wine, not violent, not desirous of unlawful gain. ⁸ but a lover of hospitality, humane, prudent, just, holy, temperate; ⁹ attach'd to the truth, that has been taught him, that he may be able to teach others sound doctrine, and to convince those who oppose it. ¹⁰ For there are many, especially among the Jews, who are obstinate, vain talkers and deceivers; ¹¹ who ought to be curb'd, who pervert whole families, teaching things which they ought not, for sordid lucre. ¹² one of their own prophets said, "the Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies." ¹³ the charge is true: wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they maybe sound in the faith; ¹⁴ not doating on Jewish Fables, and the tenets of men, that deviate from the truth. ¹⁵ to the pure all things are pure: but to corrupt infidels nothing is pure; whose very mind and conscience is polluted. ¹⁶ they make a profession of knowing God; but in fact they deny him, being execrably incredulous, and utter strangers to all virtue.