Titus 1:10–16

10Many people refuse to obey God. All they do is talk a lot. They try to fool others. No one does these things more than the circumcision group. 11They must be stopped. They are destroying entire families. They are teaching things they shouldn’t. They do it to get money by cheating people.

12Even one of their own prophets has said, “People from Crete are always liars. They are evil beasts. They don’t want to work. They live only to eat.” 13What I have just said is true. So give them a strong warning. Then they will understand the faith correctly. 14They will pay no attention to Jewish stories that aren’t completely true. They won’t listen to the commands of those who turn away from the truth.

15To people who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who have twisted minds and don’t believe, nothing is pure. In fact, their minds and their sense of what is right and wrong are twisted. 16They claim to know God. But their actions show they don’t know him. They are hated by God. They refuse to obey him. They aren’t fit to do anything good.