Philippians 1

CHAPTER 1

Thanksgiving

^1aPaul and ^bTimothy, ^cslaves of ^dChrist Jesus,

To ^eall the ^1fsaints in Christ Jesus who are in ^gPhilippi, with the ^hoverseers and ⁱdeacons:

^2aGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^3aI thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

⁴always offering prayer with joy in ^amy every prayer for you all,

⁵because of your ^1afellowship in the ^bgospel ^cfrom the first day until now.

⁶For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until ^athe day of Christ Jesus.

⁷¹For ^ait is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I ^bhave you in my heart, since both in my ^cchains and in the ^ddefense and confirmation of the ^egospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace.

⁸For ^aGod is my witness, how I long for you all with the ¹affection of ^bChrist Jesus.

⁹And this I pray, that ^ayour love may abound still more and more in ^bfull knowledge and all discernment,

¹⁰so that you may ^1aapprove the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault ²until ^bthe day of Christ,

¹¹having been filled with the ^afruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Progress of the Gospel

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances ^ahave turned out for the greater progress of the ^bgospel,

¹³so that my ^achains in Christ have become well known throughout the whole ¹praetorian guard and to ^beveryone else,

¹⁴and that most of the ¹brothers, having become confident in the Lord because of my ^achains, have ^bfar more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

^15aSome, to be sure, are preaching Christ even ¹from envy and strife, but some also ²from good will;

¹⁶the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the ^agospel;

¹⁷the former proclaim Christ ^aout of selfish ambition ¹rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me affliction in my ^bchains.

¹⁸What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice,

¹⁹for I know that ^athis will turn out for my salvation ^bthrough your ¹prayers and the provision of ^cthe Spirit of Jesus Christ,

²⁰according to my ^aearnest expectation and ^bhope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with ^call boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be ^dmagnified in my body, ^ewhether by life or by death.

To Live Is Christ

²¹For to me, ^ato live is Christ and to die is gain.

²²¹But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean ^afruitful labor for me; and I do not know what I will choose.

²³But I am hard-pressed ¹between the two, having the ^adesire to depart and ^bbe with Christ, for that is very much better,

²⁴yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

^25aAnd convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy ¹in the faith,

²⁶so that your reason for ^aboasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me, through my coming to you again.

²⁷Only ¹live your lives in a manner ^aworthy of the ^bgospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about your circumstances, that you are ^cstanding firm in ^done spirit, with one ²mind ^econtending together for the faith of the gospel,

²⁸in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a ^asign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

²⁹For to you ^ait has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to ^bsuffer for His sake,

³⁰having the same ^astruggle which ^byou saw in me, and now hear to be in me.