wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of
one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the
steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful
word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the
gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the
circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they
ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are
alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they
may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from
the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing
pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works
they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. But speak
thou the things which become sound doctrine:
and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a
servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen
beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and
entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him
also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son:
it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they
reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be
ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard
do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And
when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is
written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever
shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.