1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's chosen and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2Which rests in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the beginning of time; 3And at the proper time he revealed his word through the preaching which was entrusted to me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; 4To Titus, my own child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. 5For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that remained, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you. 6Elders must be blameless, the husband of one wife, whose children believe and are not accused of being profligate or unruly. 7For an overseer must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for gain; 8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good, sensible, just, holy, self-controlled; 9Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to refute those who oppose it. 10For there are many unruly and empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision: 11Whose mouths must be stopped, for they are subverting whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for sordid gain. 12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. 13This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14Not giving heed to Jewish myths, and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 15To the pure all things are pure: but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and consciences are defiled. 16They profess that they know God; but by their works they deny him; being detestable, and disobedient, and unfit for any good work.