Titus 2
New Testament for Everyone
Commands to households
2 So what must you do? Just this: you must instruct people how to conduct themselves in accordance with healthy teaching.
2 The older men are to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in faith, love and patience. 3 In the same way, older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or enslaved to heavy drinking, able to teach what is good. 4 That way, they can give sensible instructions to the younger women on how to love their husbands and their children, 5 and how to be sensible, holy, good at looking after the household, and submissive to their own husbands, so that people won’t have bad things to say about the word of God. 6 You must urge the younger men, in the same way, to be sensible 7 in all things.
Make sure you present yourself as a pattern of good works. Your teaching must be consistent and serious, 8 in healthy speech that is beyond reproach. That way, our opponents will be ashamed, since they won’t have anything bad to say about us.
9 Slaves must be submissive in everything to their masters. They must do what is wanted and not answer back 10 or help themselves to their masters’ property. They are to show good faith in everything, so that in every way they may be a good advertisement for the teaching of God our savior.
Grace, hope and holiness
11 God’s saving grace, you see, appeared for all people. 12 It teaches us that we should turn our backs on ungodliness and the passions of the world, and should live sober, just and devout lives in the present age, 13 while we wait eagerly for the blessed hope and royal appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus the Messiah. 14 He gave himself for us so that he could ransom us from all lawless actions and purify for himself a people as his very own who would be eager for good works.
15 This is what you must say. Exhort people and rebuke them. Use full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.
Titus 2
English Standard Version
Teach Sound Doctrine
2 But as for you, teach what accords with (A)sound[a] doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, (B)sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 (C)Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, (D)not slanderers (E)or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, (F)pure, (G)working at home, kind, and (H)submissive to their own husbands, (I)that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge (J)the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be (K)a model of good works, and in your teaching (L)show integrity, (M)dignity, 8 and (N)sound speech that cannot be condemned, (O)so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 (P)Bondservants[b] are to be submissive to their own masters (Q)in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, (R)but showing all good faith, (S)so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
11 For (T)the grace of God (U)has appeared, bringing salvation (V)for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and (W)worldly passions, and (X)to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in (Y)the present age, 13 (Z)waiting for our blessed (AA)hope, the (AB)appearing of the glory of our great (AC)God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 (AD)who gave himself for us to (AE)redeem us from all lawlessness and (AF)to purify for himself (AG)a people for his own possession who are (AH)zealous for good works.
15 Declare these things; exhort and (AI)rebuke with all authority. (AJ)Let no one disregard you.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
