Titus 1
The full text of Titus 1 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,
2 resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began,
3 and at the proper time he made his word known through the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior—
4 To Titus, my true child in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
5 This is why I left you in Crete: so that you might set right what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not open to a charge of reckless living or rebellion.
7 For an overseer, as God's steward, must be blameless: not arrogant, not quick-tempered, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain,
8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it was taught, so that he can both encourage others with sound teaching and refute those who oppose it.
10 For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.
11 They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole households by teaching what they should not—and all for dishonest gain.
12 One of their own, a prophet of theirs, said it: "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons."
13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith
14 and pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of people who turn away from the truth.
15 To the pure, everything is pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.
Translation notes (3)
- Titus 1:6a The Greek phrase mias gynaikos andra literally means 'a one-woman man' or 'a man of one wife.' This is often understood as 'faithful to his wife' or as a requirement of monogamy. The grammatical construction is debated and could relate to questions of remarriage and gender.
- Titus 1:6b The Greek phrase tekna pista can mean 'believing children' (referring to children who are themselves Christians) or 'faithful/trustworthy children' (referring to children who are well-behaved). Both readings are grammatically defensible.
- Titus 1:12a This line was attributed in ancient times to the Cretan poet Epimenides. It forms a famous self-referential paradox: a Cretan calling all Cretans liars.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Titus, is free to read here on the web.
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