Beginning

1 From: Sha’ul, God’s slave and an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah, sent to promote among God’s chosen people the trust and knowledge of truth which lead to godliness ² and which are based on the certain hope of eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised that life before the beginning of time ³ but made public this word of his in its own season through a proclamation with which I have been entrusted by order of God, our Deliverer.

⁴ To: Titus, a true son in the faith we share:

Grace and shalom from God the Father and from the Messiah Yeshua, our Deliverer.

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete was so that you might attend to the matters still not in order and appoint congregation leaders in each city — those were my instructions. ⁶ A leader must be blameless, husband to one wife, with believing children who do not have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. ⁷ For an overseer, as someone entrusted with God’s affairs, must be blameless — he must not be self-willed or quick-tempered, he must not drink excessively, get into fights or be greedy for dishonest gain. ⁸ On the contrary, he must be hospitable, devoted to good, sober-mindedness, uprightness, holiness and self-control. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy Message that agrees with the doctrine; so that by his sound teaching he will be able to exhort and encourage, and also to refute those who speak against it.

¹⁰ For there are many, especially from the Circumcision faction, who are rebellious, who delude people’s minds with their worthless and misleading talk. ¹¹ They must be silenced; because they are upsetting entire households by teaching what they have no business teaching, and doing it for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² Even one of the Cretans’ own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” — ¹³ and it’s true! For this reason, you must be severe when you rebuke those who have followed this false teaching, so that they will come to be sound in their trust ¹⁴ and no longer pay attention to Judaistic myths or to the commands of people who reject the truth.

¹⁵ To all who are themselves pure, everything is pure. But to those who are defiled and without trust, nothing is pure — even their minds and consciences have been defiled. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but with their actions they deny him. They are detestable and disobedient; they have proved themselves unfit to do anything good.

2 But you, explain what kind of behavior goes along with sound teaching. ² Tell the older men to be serious, sensible, self-controlled and sound in their trust, love and perseverance.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to behave the way people leading a holy life should. They shouldn’t be slanderers or slaves to excessive drinking. They should teach what is good, ⁴ thus training the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to take good care of their homes and submit to their husbands. In this way, God’s message will not be brought into disgrace.

⁶ Similarly, urge the young men to be self-controlled, ⁷ and in everything set them an example yourself by doing what is good. When you are teaching, have integrity and be serious; ⁸ let everything you say be so wholesome that an opponent will be put to shame because he will have nothing bad to say about us.

⁹ Tell slaves to submit to their masters in everything, to give satisfaction without talking back ¹⁰ or pilfering. On the contrary, they should demonstrate complete faithfulness always, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Deliverer more attractive.

¹¹ For God’s grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people. ¹² It teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly pleasures, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now, in this age; ¹³ while continuing to expect the blessed fulfillment of our certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh’khinah of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself up on our behalf in order to free us from all violation of Torah and purify for himself a people who would be his own, eager to do good.

¹⁵ These are the things you should say. Encourage and rebuke with full authority; don’t let anyone look down on you.

3 Remind people to submit to the government and its officials, to obey them, to be ready to do any honorable kind of work, ² to slander no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be friendly, and to behave gently towards everyone.

³ For at one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. ⁴ But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, ⁵ he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua the Messiah, our Deliverer. ⁷ He did it so that by his grace we might come to be considered righteous by God and become heirs, with the certain hope of eternal life. ⁸ You can trust what I have just said, and I want you to speak with confidence about these things, so that those who have put their trust in God may apply themselves to doing good deeds. These are both good in themselves and valuable to the community.

⁹ But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, quarrels and fights about the Torah; because they are worthless and futile. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him. ¹¹ You may be sure that such a person has been perverted and is sinning: he stands self-condemned.

¹² When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Do your best to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Do your best to help Zenas the Torah expert and Apollos with their arrangements for travelling, so that they will lack nothing. ¹⁴ And have our people learn to apply themselves to doing good deeds that meet genuine needs, so that they will not be unproductive.

¹⁵ All who are with me send you greetings. Give our greetings to our friends in the faith.

Grace be with you all.

¹ From: Sha’ul, a prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy

To: Our dear fellow-worker Philemon, ² along with sister Apphia, our fellow-soldier Archippus and the congregation that gathers in your home:

³ Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

⁴ I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, Philemon, ⁵ for I am hearing about your love and commitment to the Lord Yeshua and to all God’s people. ⁶ I pray that the fellowship based on your commitment will produce full understanding of every good thing that is ours in union with the Messiah. ⁷ For your love has given me much joy and encouragement. Brother, you have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

⁸ Therefore, I would not hesitate, in union with the Messiah, to direct you to do the thing you ought to do. ⁹ But since I Sha’ul, am the kind of person I am, an old man and now for the Messiah Yeshua’s sake a prisoner besides, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. ¹⁰ My request to you concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in prison, Onesimus. ¹¹ His name means “useful,” and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me; ¹² so that in returning him to you I am sending a part of my very heart. ¹³ I would dearly have loved to keep him with me, in order for him to serve me in your place while I am in prison because of the Good News. ¹⁴ But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do for me may be voluntary and not forced.

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a brief period was so that you could have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. And that he is, especially to me. But how much dearer he must be to you, both humanly and in union with the Lord!

¹⁷ So if you are in fellowship with me, receive him as you would me. ¹⁸ And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.

¹⁹ I, Sha’ul, write with my own hand. I will repay it.

(I won’t mention, of course, that you owe me your very life.) ²⁰ Yes, brother, please do me this favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Messiah.

²¹ Trusting that you will respond positively, I write knowing that you will indeed do more than I am asking.

²² One more thing: please get a room ready for me. For I hope that through the prayers of you all God will give me a chance to visit you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, sends greetings to you, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow-workers.

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