Philippians 1:1–4:23
1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the 1bishops and adeacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 bI thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in cevery prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 dfor your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun ea good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness fwhich are by Jesus Christ, gto the glory and praise of God.
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident hto the whole 2palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 3The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that ithis will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but jwith all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life kor by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I 4cannot tell. 23 5For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a ldesire to depart and be with Christ, which is mfar better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, 26 that nyour rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.
Striving and Suffering for Christ
27 Only olet your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, pwith one mind qstriving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but 6to you of salvation, and that from God. 29 For to you rit has been granted on behalf of Christ, snot only to believe in Him, but also to tsuffer for His sake, 30 uhaving the same conflict vwhich you saw in me and now hear is in me.
2 Therefore if there is any 1consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any aaffection and mercy, 2 bfulfill my joy cby being like-minded, having the same love, being of done accord, of one mind. 3 eLet nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but fin lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 gLet each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of hothers.
The Humbled and Exalted Christ
5 iLet this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, jbeing in the form of God, did not consider it 2robbery to be equal with God, 7 kbut 3made Himself of no reputation, taking the form lof a bondservant, and mcoming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and nbecame oobedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 pTherefore God also qhas highly exalted Him and rgiven Him the name which is above every name, 10 sthat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and tthat every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, uas you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, vwork out your own salvation with wfear and trembling; 13 for xit is God who works in you both to will and to do yfor His good pleasure.
14 Do all things zwithout 4complaining and adisputing, 515 that you may become blameless and 6harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as blights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that cI may rejoice in the day of Christ that dI have not run in vain or labored in evain.
17 Yes, and if fI am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice gand service of your faith, hI am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send iTimothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your 7state. 20 For I have no one jlike-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, kthat as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. 24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you lEpaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and mfellow soldier, nbut your messenger and othe one who ministered to my need; 26 psince he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. 29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; 30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, 8not regarding his life, qto supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
3 Finally, my brethren, arejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 bBeware of dogs, beware of cevil workers, dbeware of the mutilation! 3 For we are ethe circumcision, fwho worship 1God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though gI also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I hmore so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, iof the tribe of Benjamin, ja Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, ka Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, lpersecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But mwhat things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss nfor the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having omy own righteousness, which is from the law, but pthat which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the qpower of His resurrection, and rthe fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may sattain 2to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already tattained, 3 or am already uperfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have 4apprehended; but one thing I do, vforgetting those things which are behind and wreaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 xI press toward the goal for the prize of ythe upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are zmature, ahave this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, bGod will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already 5attained, clet us walk dby the same 6rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, ejoin in following my example, and note those who so walk, as fyou have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are gthe enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 hwhose end is destruction, iwhose god is their belly, and jwhose glory is in their shame—kwho set their mind on earthly things. 20 For lour citizenship is in heaven, mfrom which we also neagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 owho will transform our lowly body that it may be pconformed to His glorious body, qaccording to the working by which He is able even to rsubdue all things to Himself.
4 Therefore, my beloved and alonged-for brethren, bmy joy and crown, so cstand fast in the Lord, beloved.
Be United, Joyful, and in Prayer
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche dto be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 1And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who elabored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in fthe Book of Life.
4 gRejoice in the Lord always. Again I will