10 For there are many who are insubordinate, ^wempty talkers and deceivers, especially those of ^xthe circumcision party.¹ 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,² a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”³ 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.

9 But ^wavoid foolish ^xcontroversies, ^ygenealogies, dissensions, and ^zquarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and ^aworthless. 10 As for a person who ^bstirs up division, ^cafter warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.