¹Mimi Paulo, mtumishi wa Mungu na mtume wa Yesu Kristo naandika. Mimi nimechaguliwa kuijenga imani ya wateule wa Mungu na kuwaongoza waufahamu ukweli wa dini yetu,

¹Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of the choice ones of God, and an acknowledging of truth that [is] according to piety,

²ambayo msingi wake ni tumaini la kupata uzima wa milele. Mungu ambaye hasemi uongo, alituahidia uzima huo kabla ya mwanzo wa nyakati,

²upon hope of life age-during, which God, who doth not lie, did promise before times of ages,

³na wakati ufaao ulipowadia, akaudhihirisha katika ujumbe wake. Mimi nilikabidhiwa ujumbe huo nuutangaze kufuatana na amri ya Mungu, Mwokozi wetu.

³(and He manifested in proper times His word,) in preaching, which I was entrusted with, according to a charge of God our Saviour,

⁴Ninakuandikia wewe Tito, mwanangu wa kweli katika imani tunayoshiriki. Nakutakia neema na amani kutoka kwa Mungu Baba, na kutoka kwa Kristo Yesu, Mkombozi wetu.

⁴to Titus -- true child according to a common faith: Grace, kindness, peace, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour!

⁵Nilikuacha Krete ili urekebishe yale mambo ambayo hayakuwa yamekamilika bado, na kuwateua wazee wa kanisa katika kila mji. Kumbuka maagizo yangu:

⁵For this cause left I thee in Crete, that the things lacking thou mayest arrange, and mayest set down in every city elders, as I did appoint to thee;

⁶mzee wa kanisa anapaswa kuwa mtu asiye na hatia; aliye na mke mmoja tu, na watoto wake wanapaswa kuwa waumini, wasiojulikana kuwa wakorofi au wakaidi.

⁶if any one is blameless, of one wife a husband, having children stedfast, not under accusation of riotous living or insubordinate --

⁷Maana kwa vile kiongozi wa kanisa ni mkurugenzi wa kazi ya Mungu, anapaswa kuwa mtu asiye na hatia. Asiwe mwenye majivuno, mwepesi wa hasira, mlevi, mkorofi au mchoyo.

⁷for it behoveth the overseer to be blameless, as God's steward, not self-pleased, nor irascible, not given to wine, not a striker, not given to filthy lucre;

⁸Anapaswa kuwa mkarimu na anayependa mambo mema. Anapaswa kuwa mtu mtaratibu, mwadilifu, mtakatifu na mwenye nidhamu.

⁸but a lover of strangers, a lover of good men, sober-minded, righteous, kind, self-controlled,

⁹Ni lazima ashike kikamilifu ujumbe ule wa kuaminika kama unavyofundishwa. Ndivyo atakavyoweza kuwatia wengine moyo kwa mafundisho ya kweli na kuyafichua makosa ya wale wanaoyapinga mafundisho hayo.

⁹holding -- according to the teaching -- to the stedfast word, that he may be able also to exhort in the sound teaching, and the gainsayers to convict;

¹⁰Maana, wako watu wengi, hasa wale walioongoka kutoka dini ya Kiyahudi, ambao ni wakaidi, wanaowapotosha wengine kwa upumbavu wao.

¹⁰for there are many both insubordinate, vain-talkers, and mind-deceivers -- especially they of the circumcision --

¹¹Lazima kukomesha maneno yao, kwani wanavuruga jumuiya nzima kwa kufundisha mambo ambayo hawapaswi kufundisha; wanafanya hivyo kwa nia mbaya ya kupata faida ya fedha.

¹¹whose mouth it behoveth to stop, who whole households do overturn, teaching what things it behoveth not, for filthy lucre's sake.

¹²Hata mmoja wa manabii wao, ambaye naye pia ni Mkrete, alisema: "Wakrete, husema uongo daima; ni kama wanyama wabaya, walafi na wavivu!"

¹²A certain one of them, a prophet of their own, said -- `Cretans! always liars, evil beasts, lazy bellies!'

¹³Naye alitoboa ukweli kwa sababu hiyo, unapaswa kuwakaripia vikali, ili wawe na imani kamilifu.

¹³this testimony is true; for which cause convict them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

¹⁴Wasiendelee kushikilia hadithi tupu za Kiyahudi na maagizo ya kibinadamu yanayozuka kwa watu walioukataa ukweli.

¹⁴not giving heed to Jewish fables and commands of men, turning themselves away from the truth;

¹⁵Kila kitu ni safi kwa watu walio safi; lakini hakuna chochote kilicho safi kwa wale waliochafuliwa na wasioamini, maana dhamiri na akili zao zimechafuliwa.

¹⁵all things, indeed, [are] pure to the pure, and to the defiled and unstedfast [is] nothing pure, but of them defiled [are] even the mind and the conscience;

¹⁶Watu kama hao hujidai kwamba wanamjua Mungu, lakini kwa matendo yao humkana. Ni watu wa kuchukiza mno na wakaidi, hawafai kwa jambo lolote jema.

¹⁶God they profess to know, and in the works they deny [Him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work disapproved.