Bible Browser

THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

Exhortation to Uprightness

1Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think of the Lord in goodness
and seek him with sincerity of heart;
² because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
³ For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish;
⁴ because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
or dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
⁵ For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will leave foolish thoughts behind,
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.

⁶ For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words;
because God is witness of their inmost feelings,
and a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues.
⁷ Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world,
and that which holds all things together knows what is said,

THE LETTER OF PAUL TO

Titus

Salutation

1Paul, a servant^* of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, ²in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began— ³in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour,

4 To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share:

Grace^* and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Titus in Crete

5 I left you behind in Crete for this reason, that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you: ⁶someone who is blameless, married only once,^* whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious. ⁷For a bishop,^* as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; ⁸but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled. ⁹He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.