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¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness,² in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago³ and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by command of God our Savior;⁴ To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you,

⁶ if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate.⁷ For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,⁸ but hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled;⁹ he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.¹⁰ For there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially the circumcision party;¹¹ they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach.¹² One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,¹⁴ instead of giving heed to Jewish myths or to commands of men who reject the truth.¹⁵ To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed.