Titus 1-2

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Salutation

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, ² in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^(A)— ³ in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior,^(B)

⁴ To Titus, my true child^[a] in the faith we share:

Grace^[b] and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.^(C)

Titus in Crete

⁵ I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you:^{(D) 6} someone who is blameless, married only once,^[c] whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.^{(E) 7} For a bishop,^[d] as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain,^{(F) 8} but he must be hospitable,^[e] a lover of goodness, self-controlled, upright, devout, and restrained, ⁹ holding tightly to the trustworthy word of the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰ There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision;^{(G) 11} they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.^{(H) 12} It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said,

¹³ That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith,^{(I) 14} not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth.^{(J) 15} To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.^{(K) 16} They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.^(L)

Teach Sound Doctrine

2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. ² Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good,^{(M) 4} so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.^(N)

⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled ⁷ in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.^(O)

⁹ Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back,^{(P) 10} not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,^{[f](Q) 12} training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,^{(R) 13} while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,^[g] Jesus Christ.^{(S) 14} He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.^(T)

¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.^[h] Let no one look down on you.