Greeting

¹Paul and Timothy, servants1 of Christ Jesus,

To all the asaints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the boverseers2 and cdeacons:3

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

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³eI thank my God fin all my remembrance of you, ⁴always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵gbecause of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began ha good work in you iwill bring it to completion at jthe day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you kin my heart, for you are all lpartakers with me of grace,4 both min my imprisonment and in nthe defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸For oGod is my witness, phow I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹And it is my prayer that qyour love may abound more and more, rwith knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, sand so be pure and blameless tfor the day of Christ, ¹¹filled uwith the fruit of righteousness that comes vthrough Jesus Christ, wto the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

¹²I want you to know, brothers,5 that what has happened to me has really xserved to advance the gospel, ¹³so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard6 and yto all the rest that zmy imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ato speak the word7 without fear.

¹⁵bSome indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶The latter do it out of love, cknowing that I am put here for dthe defense of the gospel. ¹⁷The former proclaim Christ eout of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that fthrough your prayers and gthe help of hthe Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰as it is my eager expectation and hope ithat I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full jcourage now as always Christ kwill be honored in my body, lwhether by life or by death. ²¹For to me mto live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³nI am hard pressed between the two. My desire is oto depart and pbe with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵qConvinced of this, rI know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your sprogress and tjoy in the faith, ²⁶so that in me uyou may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

²⁷Only vlet your manner of life be wworthy8 of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with yone mind zstriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is aa clear sign to them of their destruction, but bof your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹For cit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also bsuffer for his sake, ³⁰engaged in the same dconflict that eyou saw I had and now hear that I still have.

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Christ's Example of Humility

¹So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from flove, any gparticipation in the Spirit, any haffection and sympathy, ²icomplete my joy by being jof the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from kselfish ambition or lconceit, but in mhumility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you nlook not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵oHave this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,1 ⁶pwho, though he was in qthe form of God, did not count equality with God ra thing to be grasped,2 ⁷but semptied himself, by taking the form of a tservant,3 ubeing born in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by vbecoming obedient to the point of death, weven death on a cross. ⁹xTherefore yGod has zhighly exalted him and bestowed on him athe name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus bevery knee should bow, cin heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and devery tongue confess that Jesus Christ is eLord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

¹²Therefore, my beloved, fas you have always gobeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³for hit is God who works in you, both to will and to work for ihis good pleasure.

¹⁴Do all things jwithout grumbling or kdisputing, ¹⁵that you may be blameless and innocent, lchildren of God mwithout blemish nin the midst of oa crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine pas lights in the world, ¹⁶holding fast to qthe word of life, so that in rthe day of Christ sI may be proud that tI did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷Even if I am to be upoured out as a drink offering upon vthe sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹I hope in the Lord Jesus wto send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰For I have no one xlike him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹For they all yseek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²²But you know Timothy's4 zproven worth, how aas a son5 with a father bhe has served with me in the gospel. ²³I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, ²⁴and cI trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

²⁵I have thought it necessary to send to you dEpaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and efellow soldier, and your messenger and fminister to my need, ²⁶for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹So greceive him in the Lord with all joy, and hhonor such men, ³⁰for he nearly died6 ifor the work of Christ, risking his life jto complete what was lacking in your service to me.

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