1 P aul, 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;

Paul, a bond servant of God and an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) to stimulate and promote the faith of God’s chosen ones and to lead them on to accurate discernment and recognition of and acquaintance with the Truth which belongs to and harmonizes with and tends to godliness,

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

in the hope of eternal life, which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world or the ages of time began.

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

And in His own appointed time He has made manifest (made known) His Word and revealed it as His message through the preaching entrusted to me by command of God our Savior;

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

To Titus, my true child according to a common (general) faith: Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) and peace from God the Father and the Lord Christ Jesus our Savior.

5 F or 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:

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set right what was defective and finish what was left undone, and that you might appoint elders and set them over the churches (assemblies) in every city as I directed you.

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

men who are of unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable, the husband of one wife, whose children are believers, not open to the accusation of being loose in morals and conduct or unruly and disorderly.

7 F or 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;

For the bishop (an overseer) as God’s steward must be blameless, not self-willed or arrogant or presumptuous; he must not be quick-tempered or given to drink or pugnacious (brawling, violent); he must not be grasping and greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain);

8 b ut a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

But he must be hospitable (loving and a friend to believers, especially to strangers and foreigners); a lover of goodness, sober-minded (sensible, discreet), upright and fair-minded, a devout man and religiously correct, temperate and keeping himself in hand.

9 h olding 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.

He must hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it.

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

For there are many disorderly and unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) and misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. especially of those of the circumcision party.

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

Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing and subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage and disreputable gain.

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

One of their number, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, hurtful beasts, idle and lazy gluttons.

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

And this account of them is true. Because it is, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith and free from error,

14 n ot giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

ceasing to give attention to Jewish myths and fables or to rules by men who reject and turn their backs on the Truth.

15 U nto 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.

To the pure all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted.

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

They profess to know God, but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.