Beginning

God’s revealed plan

1 From Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the faith of God’s chosen people, and the knowledge of the truth that goes with godliness, ² in the hope of the life of the coming age. God, who never lies, promised this before the ages began, ³ and has now, at the right time, unveiled his word through the proclamation entrusted to me, according to the command of our divine savior.

⁴ To Titus, my true child, according to the faith which we share.

Grace and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our savior.

Appointing elders

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete: you are to set straight all the remaining matters, and appoint elders for every town, as I charged you to do. ⁶ Elders must be blameless, the husband of only one wife. Their children must be believers, and must not be open to the accusation of loose living, or being rebellious. ⁷ This is because an overseer, as one of God’s household managers, must be blameless. He must not be stubborn, or hotheaded, or a heavy drinker, or a bully, or eager for shameful gain. ⁸ He must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, just, holy and self-controlled. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the reliable word which goes with the teaching, so that he may have the power both to exhort people with healthy instruction and to give a proper rebuttal to those who oppose it.

The problems in Crete

¹⁰ There are many, you see, who refuse to come into line—people who speak foolishness and deceive others. This is true in particular of the circumcision party. ¹¹ It’s important that they should be silenced, because they are overturning whole households by teaching things that shouldn’t be taught—and trying to make a shameful living out of it! ¹² One of their own, a native prophet, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil animals, idle guzzlers.” ¹³ This testimony is true! That’s why you must rebuke them sternly, so that they may become healthy in the faith, ¹⁴ paying no attention to Jewish myths and the commandments of people who reject the truth. ¹⁵ Everything is pure to people who are pure. But if people are defiled or faithless, nothing is pure for them; even their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They declare that they know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable and disobedient, and useless for any good work.

Commands to households

2 So what must you do? Just this: you must instruct people how to conduct themselves in accordance with healthy teaching.

² The older men are to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in faith, love and patience. ³ In the same way, older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or enslaved to heavy drinking, able to teach what is good. ⁴ That way, they can give sensible instructions to the younger women on how to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ and how to be sensible, holy, good at looking after the household, and submissive to their own husbands, so that people won’t have bad things to say about the word of God. ⁶ You must urge the younger men, in the same way, to be sensible ⁷ in all things.

Make sure you present yourself as a pattern of good works. Your teaching must be consistent and serious, ⁸ in healthy speech that is beyond reproach. That way, our opponents will be ashamed, since they won’t have anything bad to say about us.

⁹ Slaves must be submissive in everything to their masters. They must do what is wanted and not answer back ¹⁰ or help themselves to their masters’ property. They are to show good faith in everything, so that in every way they may be a good advertisement for the teaching of God our savior.

Grace, hope and holiness

¹¹ God’s saving grace, you see, appeared for all people. ¹² It teaches us that we should turn our backs on ungodliness and the passions of the world, and should live sober, just and devout lives in the present age, ¹³ while we wait eagerly for the blessed hope and royal appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us so that he could ransom us from all lawless actions and purify for himself a people as his very own who would be eager for good works.

¹⁵ This is what you must say. Exhort people and rebuke them. Use full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

God’s kindness and generosity—and ours

3 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. ² They are not to speak evil of anyone, nor to be quarrelsome, but to be kindly. They must be completely gentle with everyone.

³ We ourselves, you see, used at one time to be foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various kinds of passions and pleasures. We spent our time in wickedness and jealousy. We were despicable in ourselves, and we hated one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not by works that we did in righteousness, but in accordance with his own mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewal of the holy spirit, ⁶ which was poured out richly upon us through Jesus the Messiah, our savior, ⁷ so that we might be justified by his grace and be made his heirs, in accordance with the hope of the life of the age to come. ⁸ The saying is sure.

Watch out for disputes and divisions

I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may take care to be energetic in good works. Such things are good and profitable for people. ⁹ But stay well clear of foolish disputes, genealogies, quarrels and squabbles about the law; they serve no purpose, and are worthless. ¹⁰ If someone is causing divisions, give them a first warning, then a second, and then avoid them. ¹¹ You know that a person like that is twisted, sinful and self-condemned.

¹² When I send Artemas to you, or maybe Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. That’s where I’ve decided to spend the winter. ¹³ Give a really good send-off to Zenas the lawyer and Apollos; make sure they don’t go short of anything. ¹⁴ All our people must learn to busy themselves with good works, so that they may meet any urgent needs that arise, and not be unfruitful.

¹⁵ All the people with me send you their greetings. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with you all.

Greetings

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Messiah Jesus, and Timothy our brother: to our beloved Philemon, our colleague and partner, ² to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our comrade-in-arms, and to God’s people who meet in their house. ³ May grace and peace be upon you, from God our father and Messiah Jesus the Lord.

⁴ I always thank my God when your name comes up in my prayers, ⁵ because I’ve heard of your love and faithful loyalty towards the Lord Jesus and to all God’s people. ⁶ My prayer is this: that the partnership which goes with your faith may have its powerful effect, in realizing every good thing that is at work in us to lead us into the Messiah. ⁷ You see, my dear brother, your love gives me so much joy and comfort! You have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

Paul’s appeal

⁸ Because of all this I could be very bold in the Messiah, and order you to do the right thing. ⁹ But, because of love, I’d much rather appeal to you—yes, it’s me, Paul, speaking, an old man as I am and now a prisoner of Messiah Jesus! ¹⁰ I am appealing to you about my child, the one I have fathered here in prison: Onesimus, “Mr Useful.” ¹¹ There was a time when he was useless to you; but now he’s very useful, to you and to me.

¹² I’m sending him to you for your decision—yes, sending the man himself; and this means sending my own heart. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him here with me, so that he could have been your representative in serving me in the chains of the gospel. ¹⁴ But I didn’t want to do anything without you knowing about it. That way, when you did the splendid thing that the situation requires, it wouldn’t be under compulsion, but of your own free will.

Paul’s perspective

¹⁵ Look at it like this. Maybe this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you could have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but much more than a slave, as a beloved brother, beloved especially to me, but how much more to you, both as part of your household and in the Lord. ¹⁷ So, anyway, if you reckon me a partner in your work, receive him as though he was me. ¹⁸ And if he’s wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, put that down on my account. ¹⁹ This is me, Paul, writing with my own hand: I’ll pay you back (and far be it from me to remind you that you owe me your own very self!). ²⁰ Yes, my brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in the Messiah.

²¹ As I write this I’m confident that you’ll do what I say. In fact, I know you’ll do more than I say. ²² But, at the same time, get a guest room ready for me. I’m hoping, you see, that through your prayers I will be granted to you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Messiah Jesus, sends you greetings. ²⁴ So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my colleagues here.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord, Messiah Jesus, be with your spirit.