¹From Paul – a slave of God, an Apostle of Jesus the Anointed One and a follower of the faith of God’s elected who have a complete knowledge of truth and whose worship ²is based on the hope of age-long life, which The God (who doesn’t lie) promised ages ago ³and who, in His own due time, made His Word known through an important message that was entrusted to me by the command of our God and Savior.⁴To Titus – a true child in the faith that we hold in common.May you have loving care and peace from God the Father, and from the Anointed Jesus our Savior!⁵The reason why I left you in Crete is so that you could straighten out some of the problems there, and for you to appoint elders in each city, as I instructed you.⁶[So, choose those who] haven’t been charged with misconduct… one-woman men who have believing children who aren’t rebellious or accused of being beyond hope.⁷Because, as a manager of the household of God, an overseer must be blameless.[He can’t be] selfish, quick tempered, a heavy drinker, a fighter, or a greedy person.⁸Rather, [he must be] hospitable, a faithful friend, levelheaded, righteous, devout, self-controlled, ⁹[and a person who] lives by the word of truth, so he can teach and encourage those who are strong as he exposes the wrongs of those who contradict.¹⁰For there are lots of rebellious and deceitful windbags (most of whom are circumcised) ¹¹and whose mouths need to be sealed.They’re the ones who are dishonestly making money by teaching things that they shouldn’t, and they’re misleading entire households!¹²It was one of their own prophets who said:‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.’¹³And that’s a fact!This is why you’ll have to be tough when it comes to exposing their wrong ways, so they can become healthy in the faith, and stop ¹⁴paying attention to Jewish myths and the rules of men, which are turning them away from the truth.¹⁵For although everything is clean to those who are clean, nothing is clean for those who are dirty and faithless, because both their minds and their consciences are dirty!¹⁶And while they all claim to know God, everything they do disproves it, because they’re disgusting, disobedient, and unqualified to do anything worthwhile.

¹You however, keep on talking about the correct, healthy teachings.²Encourage the older men to be free from excesses and to be serious, levelheaded, and healthy in their faith, love, and endurance.³[Also encourage] the older women to behave as though they’d just entered a holy place… Not to be slanderers or alcoholics, but to become teachers of good things.⁴Teach the younger women to love their husbands and their children… ⁵To be level headed, pure, homemakers, and good people who are willing to obey their husbands so that God’s Word won’t be spoken of shamefully.⁶And you must give younger men the same encouragement… To be level-headed.⁷[Teach them to] become good examples in all sorts of good deeds, to be serious and blameless in their teaching, ⁸and to speak in wholesome ways so that no one can condemn them, and nobody who opposes us will have anything bad to say about us.⁹Also, teach those who are slaves to obey their masters in everything… To please them well, not to talk back, ¹⁰and not to steal things!They should prove that they’re faithful in doing whatever is right, so they can adorn the teachings of our God and Savior in everything.¹¹For the reason why God’s loving care is being displayed [through us] is so that we all might be saved!¹²And once they’ve rejected the godlessness and worldly desires, they must then be taught how to live sensibly, righteously, and devoutly in this age ¹³while they expect the blest hope and the manifestations of the glory of the great God, and our Savior, the Anointed Jesus... ¹⁴[the one] who handed himself over in order to free us by ransom from lawlessness, and to bring out a clean people for himself who are all zealous in doing whatever is good.¹⁵Yes, I’m authorizing you to talk about such things, as well as to encourage and correct…And don’t let anyone ignore you!

¹Keep on reminding them that they must be obedient and that they must submit to the rulers and the authorities…That they must always be ready and willing to do good things!²They shouldn’t be slanderous to anyone or want to fight with them. [Rather, they should all] be willing to give in to [the wishes of] others and to be humble before everyone.³Realise that we were all once senseless, disobedient sinners... Slaves to our own desires in badness and envy (disgusting [people] who hated each other), ⁴but when God’s kindness and compassion, our Savior, came here ⁵(not because we were righteous, but because of His mercy), He saved us through the cleansing [water] that re-created us – by means of the renewing [power] of Holy Breath.⁶Yes, He poured plenty of it over us, through Jesus, our Anointed Savior, ⁷so that afterwards we’re counted as righteous (through His loving care), that we might become heirs who have the hope of age-long life.⁸You can believe these things…And these are the instructions that I want you to keep on giving to them, so that those who’ve come to believe in The God will stand firm in doing all that’s right!Yes, these are good and helpful things that you must teach them.⁹[For they must learn to] avoid foolish questions, genealogies, arguments, and fights over the [Jewish] Law, since such things don’t really do any good – and they’re just a waste of time.¹⁰After you’ve reasoned with an heretical man once, and then a second time, [but he still refuses to change,] avoid him!¹¹[Do this] because you know that those who turn from The Way are self-condemned sinners!¹²After I send Artemas or TychiKos to you, try to come to me here in NikoPolis, since I’ve decided to spend the winter here.¹³Hurry and send Zenas (the lawyer) and Apollos [to me]… And make sure they won’t lack anything they need for their journey.¹⁴Yes – let our [brothers] learn how to do good things in times of need, so their efforts won’t be wasted.¹⁵Everybody who’s with me sends you their greetings.Give my greetings to everyone in the faith who truly care about us.May [God’s] loving care be with all of you.