1:1 Paul, slave of God yet Ambassador of Jesus the Anointed, according to the faith of God’s chosen ones, and to the devoutness of the realization of the truth,

1:2 on the hope of ageless life which God, who does not lie, made apparent in ages past;

1:3 yet in the time of his choosing I was considered trustworthy to announce his Word, according to the divine command of our Savior God,

1:4 To Titus, a genuine member of our common faith: Favor and peace to you from God our father and Anointed Jesus our Savior.

1:5 It is for the sake of this favor that I left you in Crete to set up what is lacking, namely the appointing of elders according to city, based on the criteria I specified:

1:6 It must be someone who is above reproach, faithful to their spouse, with children who are believers who cannot be accused of being wild or disrespectful.

1:7 For a guardian has to be a manager for God who is above reproach, not self-centered, short-fused, given to addictions, violent, or unethical.

1:8 Instead, they should be hospitable, seeking the good, sensible, fair, pure, and self-controlled.

1:9 They must be reliable for staying faithful to the right teachings so they can expose false ones, while encouraging the teaching of that which is healthy.

1:10 For there are many insubordinate babblers and impostors, especially those from “the circumcision.”

1:11 They must be corralled because they subvert entire households and teach legalism as scams to make money.

1:12 One of their own prophets has even said, “Cretans are always liars, dangerous wild animals, lazy bellies.”

1:13 And that’s true! So expose them decisively, that they may be made healthy in the faith,

1:14 not listening to Judaic myths and the rules of people who turn from the truth.

1:15 Everything is clean to those who are clean, but nothing is clean to those whose mind and conscience is tainted.

1:16 They claim they have a familiarity with God, yet by their actions they deny it; they are repulsive and incorrigible, and good for nothing.