1:1Paul and Timothy, servants of
Jesus Christ;
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 1:2Grace to you, and peace from God,
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:3I thank my
God whenever I remember you, 1:4always in every request of mine on
behalf of you all making my requests with joy, 1:5for your partnership in furtherance of the Gospel from the first day
until now; 1:6being confident of this very
thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day
of Jesus Christ. 1:7It is even right for me to think
this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because,
both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, you
all are partakers with me of grace. 1:8For God is
my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ
Jesus.
1:9This I pray, that your love may
abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; 1:10so that you may approve the
things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense to
the day of Christ; 1:11being filled with the fruits of
righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of
God.
1:12Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned
out rather to the progress of the Gospel; 1:13so that it
became evident to the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest, that my
bonds are in Christ; 1:14and that most of the brothers in
the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to
speak the word of God without fear. 1:15Some indeed
preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.
1:16The former insincerly preach
Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my
chains; 1:17but the latter out of love,
knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel.
1:18What does it matter? Only that in
every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I
rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice. 1:19For I know
that this will turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the
supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 1:20according
to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed,
but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my
body, whether by life, or by death. 1:21For to me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 1:22But if I
live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don't make
known what I will choose. 1:23But I am in a dilemma between the
two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
1:24Yet, to remain in the flesh is
more needful for your sake. 1:25Having this confidence, I know
that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all, for your progress and
joy in the faith, 1:26that your rejoicing may abound in
Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.
1:27Only let your manner of life be
worthy of the Gospel of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am
absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with
one soul striving for the faith of the Gospel; 1:28and in
nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of
destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 1:29Because it has been granted to
you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on
his behalf, 1:30having the same conflict which
you saw in me, and now hear is in me.
2:1If there is therefore any
exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of
the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, 2:2make my joy
full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind; 2:3doing nothing through rivalry or
through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than
himself; 2:4each of you not just looking to
his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
2:5Have this in your mind, which was
also in Christ Jesus, 2:6who, existing in the form of God,
didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God, 2:7but emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
2:8And being found in human form, he
humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
2:9Therefore God also highly exalted
him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 2:10that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the
earth, 2:11and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
2:12So then, my beloved, even as you
have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 2:13For it is God who works in you
both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 2:14Do all
things without murmurings and disputes, 2:15that you
may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the
midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as
lights in the world, 2:16holding up the word of life; that
I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn't run in
vain nor labor in vain. 2:17Yes, and if I am poured out on
the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you
all. 2:18In the same way, you also
rejoice, and rejoice with me.
2:19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to
send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how
you are doing. 2:20For I have no one else
like-minded, who will truly care about you. 2:21For they
all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. 2:22But you
know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with
me in furtherance of the Gospel. 2:23Therefore I
hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me. 2:24But I trust in the Lord that I
myself also will come shortly. 2:25But I counted it necessary to
send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and
your apostle and minister to my need; 2:26since he
longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he
was sick. 2:27For indeed he was sick, nearly to
death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that
I might not have sorrow on sorrow. 2:28I have sent
him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may
rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. 2:29Receive him
therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor, 2:30because for the work of Christ he
came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in
your service toward me.
3:1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in
the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome,
but for you it is safe. 3:2Beware of the dogs, beware of the
evil workers, beware of the false circumcision. 3:3For we are
the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ
Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh; 3:4though I
myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks
that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 3:5circumcised
the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew
of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 3:6concerning
zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in
the law, found blameless.
3:7However, what things were gain to
me, these have I counted loss for Christ. 3:8Yes most
assuredly, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all
things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ 3:9and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 3:10that I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming
conformed to his death; 3:11if by any means I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead. 3:12Not that I
have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it
is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by
Christ Jesus.
3:13Brothers, I don't regard myself
as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which
are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 3:14I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 3:15Let us therefore, as many as are
perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also
reveal that to you. 3:16Nevertheless, to the extent that
we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the
same mind. 3:17Brothers, be imitators together
of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an
example. 3:18For many walk, of whom I told you
often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of
Christ, 3:19whose end is destruction, whose
god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about
earthly things. 3:20For our citizenship is in heaven,
from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 3:21who will change the body of our
humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the
working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.
4:1Therefore, my brothers, beloved
and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
4:2I exhort Euodia, and I exhort
Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord. 4:3Yes, I beg
you also, true yoke-fellow, help these women, for they labored with me in
the Gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose
names are in the book of life. 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always! Again
I will say, Rejoice! 4:5Let your gentleness be known to
all men. The Lord is at hand. 4:6In nothing be anxious, but in
everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known to God. 4:7And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in
Christ Jesus.
4:8Finally, brothers, whatever things
are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are
of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think
about these things. 4:9The things which you learned,
received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will
be with you. 4:10But I rejoice in the Lord
greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which
you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. 4:11Not that I speak in respect to
lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. 4:12I know how to be humbled, and I
know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned
the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in
need. 4:13I can do all things through
Christ, who strengthens me. 4:14However you did well that you
shared in my affliction. 4:15You yourselves also know, you
Philippians, that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from
Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and
receiving but you only. 4:16For even in Thessalonica you sent
once and again to my need. 4:17Not that I seek for the gift, but
I seek for the fruit that increases to your account. 4:18But I have
all things, and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the
things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and
well-pleasing sacrifice to God. 4:19My God will
supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ
Jesus. 4:20Now to our God and Father be the
glory forever and ever! Amen.
4:21Greet every saint in Christ
Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 4:22All the
saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar's household. 4:23The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. Amen.
Notes:
[1] 1:1
The word translated "overseers" (episkopos) can also be
translated superintendents, guardians, curators, or bishops.
[2] 1:1 Or, servants
[3] 1:5 The word translated
"partnership" (koinonia) also means "fellowship" and
"sharing."
[4]
1:12 The word for "brothers" here and where context allows
may also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or
"siblings."
