Paul's Greeting to Titus

(2 Corinthians 8:16-24)

1Paul, bondman of God, and apostle of Jesus Christ according to [the] faith of God's elect, and knowledge of [the] truth which [is] according to piety; 2in [the] hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the ages of time, 3but has manifested in its own due season his word, in [the] proclamation with which I have been entrusted, according to [the] commandment of our Saviour God;

4to Titus, my own child according to [the] faith common [to us]: Grace and peace from God [the] Father, and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Appointment of Elders on Crete

5For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou mightest go on to set right what remained [unordered], and establish elders in each city, as I had ordered thee: 6if any one be free from all charge [against him], husband of one wife, having believing children not accused of excess or unruly. 7For the overseer must be free from all charge [against him] as God's steward; not headstrong, not passionate, not disorderly through wine, not a striker, not seeking gain by base means; 8but hospitable, a lover of goodness, discreet, just, pious, temperate, 9clinging to the faithful word according to the doctrine taught, that he may be able both to encourage with sound teaching and refute gainsayers.

Correcting False Teachers

10For there are many and disorderly vain speakers and deceivers of people's minds, specially those of [the] circumcision, 11who must have their mouths stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which ought not [to be taught] for the sake of base gain. 12One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said, Cretans are always liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons. 13This testimony is true; for which cause rebuke them severely, that they may be sound in the faith, 14not turning [their] minds to Jewish fables and commandments of men turning away from the truth. 15All things [are] pure to the pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving nothing [is] pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16They profess to know God, but in works deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and found worthless as to every good work.