Titus’s Ministry in Crete

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. An elder(C) must be blameless,(D) the husband of one wife, with faithful[a] children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion. 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, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:6 Or believing

Appointing elders

The reason I left you behind in Crete was to organize whatever needs to be done and to appoint elders in each city, as I told you. Elders should be without fault. They should be faithful to their spouse,[a] and have faithful children who can’t be accused of self-indulgence or rebelliousness. This is because supervisors[b] should be without fault as God’s managers: they shouldn’t be stubborn, irritable, addicted to alcohol, a bully, or greedy. Instead, they should show hospitality, love what is good, and be reasonable, ethical, godly, and self-controlled. They must pay attention to the reliable message as it has been taught to them so that they can encourage people with healthy instruction and refute those who speak against it.

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Footnotes

  1. Titus 1:6 Or they should be a one-woman man.
  2. Titus 1:7 Or overseers, bishops