Titus, 1

1. From Paul, servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ to bring those whom God has chosen to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to true religion,

1. Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

2. and to give them the hope of the eternal life that was promised so long ago by God. He does not lie

2. In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

3. and so, in due time, he made known his message by a proclamation which was entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour.

3. But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

4. To Titus, true child of mine in the faith that we share. Grace and peace from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Saviour.

4. To Titus, [mine] own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

5. The reason I left you behind in Crete was for you to organise everything that still had to be done and appoint elders in every town, in the way that I told you,

5. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

6. that is, each of them must be a man of irreproachable character, husband of one wife, and his children must be believers and not liable to be charged with disorderly conduct or insubordination.

6. If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7. The presiding elder has to be irreproachable since he is God's representative: never arrogant or hot-tempered, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor avaricious;

7. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8. but hospitable and a lover of goodness; sensible, upright, devout and self-controlled;

8. But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9. and he must have a firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition, so that he can be counted on both for giving encouragement in sound doctrine and for refuting those who argue against it.

9. Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

10. And in fact there are many people who are insubordinate, who talk nonsense and try to make others believe it, particularly among those of the circumcision.

10. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

11. They must be silenced: people of this kind upset whole families, by teaching things that they ought not to, and doing it for the sake of sordid gain.

11. Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

12. It was one of themselves, one of their own prophets, who said, 'Cretans were never anything but liars, dangerous animals, all greed and laziness';

12. One of themselves, [even] a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians [are] alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

13. and that is a true statement. So be severe in correcting them, and make them sound in the faith

13. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

14. so that they stop taking notice of Jewish myths and the orders of people who turn away from the truth.

14. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

15. To those who are pure themselves, everything is pure; but to those who have been corrupted and lack faith, nothing can be pure -- the corruption is both in their minds and in their consciences.

15. Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

16. They claim to know God but by their works they deny him; they are outrageously rebellious and quite untrustworthy for any good work.

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