The Message Bible MSG
New American Standard Bible NAS
1 I, Paul, am God's slave and Christ's agent for promoting the faith among God's chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it.
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Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,
2 My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago - and he doesn't break promises!
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in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
3 And then when the time was ripe, he went public with his truth. I've been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself.
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but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,
4 Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!
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To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
5 I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions.
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For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,
6 As you select them, ask, "Is this man well-thought-of? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?"
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namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.
7 It's important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God's house, be looked up to - not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry.
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For the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,
8 He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself,
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but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,
9 and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.
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holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.
10 For there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst.
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For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11 They've got to be shut up. They're disrupting entire families with their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck.
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who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.
12 One of their own prophets said it best: The Cretans are liars from the womb, barking dogs, lazy bellies.
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One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."
13 He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules
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This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith,
14 so they can recover a robust faith.
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not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15 Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act.
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To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16 They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They're real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.
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They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved.