Greeting
1 Paul, an aapostle of Christ Jesus bby command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our chope,
2 To Timothy, dmy true child in the faith:
eGrace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers
3 fAs I urged you gwhen I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to hteach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to imyths and endless jgenealogies, which promote kspeculations rather than the lstewardship1 from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is mlove that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a nsincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by oswerving from these, have pwandered away into qvain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, rwithout understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8 Now we know that sthe law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, tfor the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for uthose who strike their fathers and mothers, for vmurderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, wenslavers,2 liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to xsound3 doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the yblessed God with which I have been zentrusted.
Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners
12 aI thank him who has given me bstrength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, cappointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, dpersecutor, and insolent opponent. But I ereceived mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me fwith the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 gThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that hChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, iof whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received jmercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an kexample to those who were to lbelieve in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, mimmortal, ninvisible, the oonly God, be honor and glory forever and ever.4 Amen.
18 This charge I pentrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with qthe prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the rgood swarfare, 19 tholding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made ushipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are vHymenaeus and wAlexander, whom I have xhanded over to Satan that they may learn not to yblaspheme.
Greeting
1 Paul, a aservant1 of God and an bapostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s celect and their dknowledge of the truth, ewhich accords with godliness, 2 in fhope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, gpromised before the ages began2 3 and hat the proper time imanifested in his word3 through the preaching with which I have been jentrusted kby the command of God our Savior;
4 To lTitus, mmy true child in a common faith:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Qualifications for Elders
5 nThis is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and oappoint pelders in every town as I directed you— 6 qif anyone is above reproach, rthe husband of one wife,4 and his children are believers5 and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an soverseer,6 as God’s tsteward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or uquick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in vsound7 doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
10 For there are many who are insubordinate, wempty talkers and deceivers, especially those of xthe circumcision party.8 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for yshameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 zOne of the Cretans,9 a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”10 13 aThis testimony is true. Therefore brebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not devoting themselves to Jewish cmyths and the dcommands of people who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, eall things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both ftheir minds and their gconsciences are defiled. 16 hThey profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
