Titus 1:5-2:8

Christian Standard Bible

Titus’s Ministry in Crete

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete^(A) was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders^(B) in every town. ⁶ An elder^(C) must be blameless,^(D) the husband of one wife, with faithful^[a] children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. ⁷ As an overseer^(E) of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, ⁹ holding to the faithful message as taught,^(F) so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching^(G) and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from the circumcision party. ¹¹ It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. ¹² One of their very own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹³ This testimony is true.^(H) For this reason, rebuke them sharply,^(I) so that they may be sound in the faith ¹⁴ and may not pay attention to Jewish myths^(J) and the commands of people who reject the truth.^(K)

¹⁵ To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience^(L) are defiled. ¹⁶ They claim to know God,^(M) but they deny him by their works.^(N) They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.^(O)

Sound Teaching and Christian Living

2 But you are to proclaim things consistent with sound teaching.^{(P) 2} Older men^(Q) are to be self-controlled, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love,^(R) and endurance. ³ In the same way, older women^(S) are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good, ⁴ so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, workers at home, kind, and in submission^(T) to their husbands, so that God’s word^(U) will not be slandered.

⁶ In the same way, encourage the young men^(V) to be self-controlled ⁷ in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity^[b] in your teaching. ⁸ Your message is to be sound beyond reproach,^(W) so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us.