Titus 1
New Living Translation
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to[a] those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.
4 I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share.
May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.
Titus’s Work in Crete
5 I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife,[b] and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader[c] is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker,[d] violent, or dishonest with money.
8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 12 Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.”[e] 13 This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.
15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.
Titus 1
International Standard Version
Greetings
1 From:[a] Paul, a servant of God, and also an apostle of Jesus the Messiah,[b] to bring the faith to those chosen by God, along with full knowledge of the truth that leads to[c] godliness, 2 which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world[d] began. 3 At the right time he revealed his message through the proclamation that was entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior.
4 To: Titus, a genuine child in the faith that we share.
May grace and peace[e] from God the Father and the Messiah,[f] Jesus our Savior, be yours!
Qualifications for Leaders in the Church
5 The reason I left you in Crete was to complete what still needed to be done and to appoint elders in every city, as I myself commanded you. 6 An elder must be[g] blameless. He must be the husband of one wife[h] and have children who are believers and who are not accused of having wild lifestyles or of being rebellious. 7 Because an overseer is God’s servant manager, he must be blameless. He must not be arrogant or irritable. He must not drink too much, be a violent person, or make money in shameful ways. 8 Instead, he must be hospitable to strangers, must appreciate what is good, and be sensible, honest, moral, and self-controlled. 9 He must be devoted to the trustworthy message that agrees with what we teach, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Guard What is True
10 For there are many people who are rebellious, especially those who are converts from Judaism.[i] They speak utter nonsense and deceive people. 11 They must be silenced, because they are the kind of people who ruin whole families by teaching what they should not teach in order to make money in a shameful way. 12 One of their very own prophets said,
“Liars ever, men of Crete,
savage brutes that live to eat.”[j]
13 That statement is true. For this reason, refute them sharply so that they may become healthy in the faith 14 and not pay attention to Jewish myths or commands given by people who reject the truth. 15 Everything is clean to those who are clean, but nothing is clean to those who are corrupt and unbelieving. Indeed, their very way of thinking and their consciences have been corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified to do anything good.
Footnotes
- Titus 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
- Titus 1:1 Or Christ
- Titus 1:1 Lit. that is according to
- Titus 1:2 Or the ages
- Titus 1:4 Other mss. read grace, mercy, and peace
- Titus 1:4 Or Christ
- Titus 1:6 Lit. If anyone is
- Titus 1:6 Or devoted to his wife; lit. a man of one woman
- Titus 1:10 Lit. those of the circumcision
- Titus 1:12 Epimenides (6th to 5th century BC)
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