Titus 1

1 PAUL, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the elect of God, and the knowledge of truth which leads to godliness;

Paul, a bondservant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ for building up the faith of God's own people and spreading a full knowledge of the truths of religion,

2 in hope of life eternal, which God, who cannot lie, hath promised before time had a being; (aiōnios g166)

in hope of the Life of the Ages which God, who is never false to His word, promised before the commencement of the Ages. (aiōnios g166)

3 but hath manifested in his own appointed season his word by the preaching, with which I have been entrusted, according to the command of our Saviour God;

And at the appointed time He clearly made known His Message in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Saviour:

4 to Titus, my genuine son after the common faith, be grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

To Titus my own true child in our common faith. May grace and peace be granted to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

5 For this purpose I left thee behind me at Crete, that thou mightest direct the regulations which remained to be executed, and that thou shouldest appoint presbyters in every city, as I charged thee to do:

I have left you behind in Crete in order that you may set right the things which still require attention, and appoint Elders in every town, as I directed you to do;

6 if there be a man blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not under an accusation or debauchery, or disorderly conduct.

wherever there is a man of blameless life, true to his one wife, having children who are themselves believers and are free from every reproach of profligacy or of stubborn self-will.

7 For a bishop ought to be irreproachable, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not irritable, not addicted to wine, not quarrelsome, not greedy of filthy lucre;

For, as God's steward, a minister must be of blameless life, not over-fond of having his own way, not a man of a passionate temper nor a hard drinker, not given to blows nor greedy of gain,

8 but the stranger’s host, the good man’s friend, grave, just, holy, temperate;

but hospitable to strangers, a lover of goodness, sober-minded, upright, saintly, self-controlled;

9 firmly attached to the faithful word, according to the doctrine delivered, that he may be able to exhort with sound instruction and to confute the opposers.

holding fast to the faithful Message which he has received, so that he may be well qualified both to encourage others with sound teaching and to reply successfully to opponents.

10 For there are many disorderly persons vainly talkative, and under a spirit of delusion, especially some of the circumcised;

For there are many that spurn authority--idle, talkative and deceitful persons, who, for the most part, are adherents of the Circumcision.

11 whose mouths ought to be muzzled, who pervert whole families, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of base gain.

You must stop the mouths of such men, for they overthrow the faith of whole families, teaching what they ought not, just for the sake of making money.

12 One of them, a poet of their own nation, hath said, The Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, slothful gluttons.

One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."

13 This testimony is true. For which cause rebuke them with severity, that they may be sound in the faith;

This testimony is true. Therefore sternly denounce them, that they may be robust in their faith,

14 not attending to Jewish fables, and injunctions of men, who have turned away from the truth.

and not give attention to Jewish legends and the maxims of men who turn their backs on the truth.

15 All things indeed are clean to the clean: but to the defiled and to the unbelievers there is nothing clean; but their very mind and conscience are defiled.

To the pure everything is pure; but to the polluted and unbelieving nothing is pure, but on the contrary their very minds and consciences are polluted.

16 They profess to know God; but in works deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

They profess to know God; but in their actions they disown Him, and are detestable and disobedient men, and for any good work are utterly useless.