CHAP. I.

PAUL, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the elect of God, and the knowledge of truth which leads to godliness; ²in hope of life eternal, which God, who cannot lie, hath promised before time had a being; ³but hath manifested in his own appointed season his word by the preaching, with which I have been entrusted, according to the command of our Saviour God; ⁴to Titus, my genuine son after the common faith, be grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

⁵For this purpose I left thee behind me at Crete, that thou mightest direct the regulations which remained to be executed, and that thou shouldest appoint presbyters in every city, as I charged thee to do: ⁶if there be a man blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not under an accusation or debauchery, or disorderly conduct. ⁷For a bishop ought to be irreproachable, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not irritable, not addicted to wine, not quarrelsome, not greedy of filthy lucre; ⁸but the stranger’s host, the good man’s friend, grave, just, holy, temperate; ⁹firmly attached to the faithful word, according to the doctrine delivered, that he may be able to exhort with sound instruction and to confute the opposers. ¹⁰For there are many disorderly persons vainly talkative, and under a spirit of delusion, especially some of the circumcised; ¹¹whose mouths ought to be muzzled, who pervert whole families, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of base gain. ¹²One of them, a poet of their own nation, hath said, The Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, slothful gluttons. ¹³This testimony is true. For which cause rebuke them with severity, that they may be sound in the faith; ¹⁴not attending to Jewish fables, and injunctions of men, who have turned away from the truth. ¹⁵All things indeed are clean to the clean: but to the defiled and to the unbelievers there is nothing clean; but their very mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶They profess to know God; but in works deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

[CHAP. II.]

BUT speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: ²that the elder men be sober, grave, discreet, sound in faith, in love, in patience. ³That the elder women also be sacredly becoming in their behaviour, not slanderers, not enslaved by much wine, teachers of propriety; ⁴that they instruct the young women to be discreet, to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵to be sober, domestic, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not ill reported of. ⁶The younger men in like manner exhort to be sober minded. ⁷In all things approving thyself as a pattern of good works: in thy teaching, shewing integrity, gravity, incorruptibility, ⁸sound discourse, incapable of confutation; that he who is in opposition may be confounded, having nothing faulty to say of you.

⁹Let servants be subject to their own masters, in all things to be agreeable to them; not contradicting; ¹⁰not embezzling their property, but demonstrating all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

¹¹For the grace of God which leads to salvation hath appeared unto all men, ¹²instructing us, that denying ungodliness and worldly affections, we should live soberly and righteously, and godly in the present day; ¹³expecting the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ¹⁵These things speak and enjoin, and reprove with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

[CHAP. III.]

REMIND them to be subject to princes and those invested with authority, to obey magistrates, to be ready for every good work, ²to slander no man, to be inoffensive, gentle, shewing all meekness to all men. ³For we ourselves also in time past were thoughtless, disobedient, erroneous, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. ⁴But even then the kindness and love of God our Saviour to man shone forth, ⁵not for works of righteousness which we had done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the laver of regeneration, and by renovation of the Holy Spirit; ⁶which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ⁷that justified by his grace, we might become heirs in hope of eternal life.

⁸Faithful is the saying, and of these things I wish thee firmly to testify, that they who have believed in God be careful to be pre-eminent in good works. These are becoming and advantageous to men. ⁹But foolish disquisitions, and genealogies, and disputes, and contentions about the law avoid; for they are unprofitable and vain.

¹⁰An heretical person after a first and second admonition reject; ¹¹knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned.

¹²When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, hasten to come to me unto Nicopolis: for there I have determined to pass the winter.

¹³Send forward diligently Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, that nothing may be wanting for them. ¹⁴And let those who belong to us learn also to be pre-eminent in good works for all necessary calls, that they be not without fruits.

¹⁵All that are with me salute thee. Salute those who love us with fidelity.

Grace be with you all. Amen.

This epistle was written to Titus appointed by suffrage first bishop of the church of Crete, from Nicopolis in Macedonia.

[THE]

EPISTLE of PAUL the APOSTLE,

PHILEMON.

PAUL, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy a brother, to Philemon the beloved, and our fellow-labourer, ²and to Apphia the beloved, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church at thy house: ³grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of thee in my prayers, ⁵hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast towards the Lord Jesus, and unto all the saints; ⁶that there may be an operative communication of thy faith made known by every good thing, which is in you towards Jesus Christ. ⁷For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed by thee, brother. ⁸Wherefore, though I have in Christ great liberty to enjoin thee what is becoming, ⁹I rather for love’s sake entreat, being such as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner for Jesus Christ. ¹⁰I entreat thee for my son, whom I have begotten during my bonds, Onesimus: ¹¹who in time past hath been an unprofitable servant to thee, but now very profitable to thee and to me: ¹²whom I have sent back; thou therefore receive him, even as my own bowels: ¹³whom I wished to detain about myself, that in thy stead he might have waited upon me during my bonds for the gospel: ¹⁴but without thy consent would I do nothing; that this good deed of thine might not be as of necessity, but from thy own choice. ¹⁵For to this end perhaps was he separated from thee for a season, that thou mightest receive him for ever; ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but above a slave, as a brother beloved, especially by me, but how much more by thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? ¹⁷If therefore thou holdest me a sharer with thee, receive him as myself. ¹⁸If he hath injured thee or oweth thee ought, put that to my account; ¹⁹I Paul have given it under my own hand, I will repay it, not to say to thee, that thou owest even thine own self unto me. ²⁰Yea, brother, I wish to have joy in thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord. ²¹Having confidence in thy obedience, I have written unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do more than I say. ²²But at the same time prepare me also a lodging: for I hope that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

²³There salute thee Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus; ²⁴Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow-labourers.

²⁵The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Amen.

Written to Philemon from Rome, by Onesimus one of his household.

[THE EPISTLE]

TO THE

HEBREWS.