1Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ (according to [the] faith of God's elect, in the acknowledging of [the] truth which is according to godliness 2on hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before [the] eternal times, 3but revealed His word in its own times in a proclamation, with which I was entrusted by [the] command of God our Savior,) 4to Titus, a true child according to [our] common faith. Grace mercy and peace from God [the] Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. 5For this cause I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed you, 6if anyone is blameless, husband of one wife, having believing children, not accused of loose behavior, or disobedient. 7For an overseer must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not full of passion, not given to wine, not quarrelsome, not greedy for ill gain; 8but hospitable, a lover of good, discreet, just, holy, temperate, 9holding fast the faithful word according to the doctrine, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convict the gainsayers. 10For there are indeed many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of [the] circumcision, 11whose mouth [you] must stop, who subvert whole houses, teaching things not right for the sake of ill gain. 12One of them, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans [are] always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. 13This witness is true; for which cause convict them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith, 14not giving heed to Jewish myths and commandments of men, turning away from the truth. 15To the pure all things [are] pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing [is] pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16They profess that they know God, but in [their] works they deny [Him], being abominable and disobedient and reprobate to every good work.