Titus 1 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

From Paul, a servant of God and an ambassador of Jesus the One, sent to strengthen the trust of those God has chosen and to deepen their understanding of the truth that leads to a God-honoring life,

rooted in the hope of limitless life that God — who cannot lie — promised before time even began,

and at just the right time, he brought his message into the open through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Rescuer.

To Titus, my true son in the trust we share: generous favor and peace to you from God the Father and the One, Jesus, our Rescuer.

I left you in Crete to finish organizing what still needed to be done and to appoint leaders for the gathered community in every town, just as I directed you.

A leader must be someone whose life is above criticism — faithful to one partner, with children who trust God and aren't known for being out of control or rebellious.

Because an overseer manages God's household, his life must be above criticism. He can't be arrogant, short-tempered, a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy for money.

Instead, he should be welcoming to strangers, passionate about what is good, self-controlled, fair, devoted to God, and disciplined.

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it was taught, so that he can both encourage others with sound teaching and expose those who argue against it.

Because there are many people who are rebellious, full of empty talk and deception — especially those from a Jewish background —

and they need to be silenced, because they're destroying entire families by teaching things they shouldn't — all for the sake of dishonest profit.

One of their own prophets said it: "People from Crete are always liars, vicious animals, and lazy gluttons."

This assessment is accurate. So correct them sharply, so that they become healthy in their trust,

instead of paying attention to Jewish myths and the rules of people who have turned away from the truth.

To those who are clean on the inside, everything is clean. But to those who are corrupted and refuse to trust, nothing is clean — even their minds and consciences are contaminated.

They claim to know God, but their actions completely contradict it. They are repulsive, disobedient, and useless for doing anything good.