1

1 From Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and ministers,

2 grace to you and peace from God our father and Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I give thanks to my God at every mention of you,

4 always, in every request of mine, making the request for all of you with joy,

5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day up to now,

6 confident of this very thing, that he who started a good work in you will be completing it until the day of Christ Jesus,

7 and it is right for me to think this of all of you like this, because I have you in my heart, in both my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all being fellow sharers of my grace.

8 For God is my witness how I long for all of you in the compassion of Jesus Christ,

9 and I pray for this, that your love may abound still more and more in acknowledgement and every insight,

10 so that you scrutinize the things that differ, in order that you may be sincere and inoffensive up to the day of Christ,

11 having been filled with the fruits of righteousness which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

12 But I wish you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have rather led to progress of the gospel,

13 so that my bonds on account of Christ have become well-known in all the government offices and all the other places,

14 and so that most of the brothers, trusting in the Lord, because of my bonds, dare more than ever to speak the word fearlessly.

15 Some however preach Christ through envy and rivalry, but others also through good will.

16 Some proclaim Christ out of self-interest, not with pure motives, thinking to bring affliction on top of my bonds,

17 whereas others do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel.

18 So what? As long as, in one way or another, whether by pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice, and not only so, but I will rejoice.

19 For I am aware that this, you know, will turn out to salvation through your supplication and the support of the spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be ashamed of anything, but that in all frankness, now as always, Christ will be magnified by my body whether through life or through death.

21 Because for me to live means Christ and to die is gain.

22 But if to live in the flesh means I have the fruit of my work, then what I will choose, I cannot tell.

23 But I am squeezed by the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,

24 but to remain in the flesh is the more necessary on your account,

25 and being convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay along with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

26 so that your exultation may abound in Christ Jesus because of me through my presence again with you.

27 Only conduct yourselves as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or whether I am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you are standing in one spirit, striving together with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

28 and not being alarmed by anything done by your adversaries, which is an indication to them of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

29 For it is granted to you concerning Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake,

30 having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

2

1 If therefore there is any comfort in Christ, if there is any consolation from love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if there is any compassion and mercy,

2 make my joy full, by being likeminded, having the same love, of one mind, having your thoughts on the one thing,

3 nothing being through self-interest or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, considering each other more important than yourselves.

4 Let everyone look not to his own interests, but also each one to the interests of others.

5 So have this frame of mind in you, which is also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God to be misappropriation,

7 yet he emptied himself, having taken on the status of a servant, having come in the appearance of men,

8 and having been found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to the extent of death, and the death of the cross at that,

9 which is why God has also greatly exalted him and has granted him a name above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in the upper-heavens and on earth and underground,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.

12 So, my beloved, 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,

13 for God is the one who is active in you, both to will, and to be active for his good pleasure.

14 Do everything without grumblings and disputes,

15 in order that you may be blameless and unspoiled, unblemished children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

16 presenting the word of life, to my exultation on the day of Christ, in that I did not run in vain nor did I toil in vain.

17 But even if I am poured out on the offering and ministering of your faith, I rejoice and will jointly rejoice with you all.

18 In the same way, rejoice, yourselves too, and jointly rejoice with me.

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be of good courage, when I have got to know your affairs,

20 for I have no-one likeminded, who will sincerely care about your affairs.

21 For all seek their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus,

22 but get to know his trustworthiness, because as a child with his father he has served with me in the cause of the gospel.

23 So I hope to send him just as soon as I see to my affairs,

24 but I trust in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.

25 However, I considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your apostle, and minister of my needs,

26 since he was longing for you all, and was in distress, because you had heard that he was ill,

27 for he did indeed fall so ill that he was near to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only him, but me also, so that I should not have grief upon grief,

28 so I sent him with greater earnest, so that when you saw him again, you would rejoice and I would be somewhat relieved from sorrow.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honour,

30 because for the work of Christ he came near to death, not having regarded his life, so that he could make up for the thing that was missing in your service towards me.

3

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is not troublesome for me to write the same things to you, and for you it is a safeguard.

2 Beware of dogs, of evil workers, beware of the scission,

3 for we are the circumcision, those who serve by the spirit of God, and exult in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in the flesh,

4 although I have grounds for trust in the flesh too. If anyone else thinks he can trust in the flesh, I can do so more:

5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee,

6 zealously persecuting the church, whilst being blameless as regards the righteousness which is in the sphere of the law,

7 but whatever things were gains to me, those I consider a loss because of Christ –

8 and indeed I even count everything to be a loss by reason of the pre-eminence of knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of everything, and I count them dung in order that I may gain Christ,

9 and that I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith,

10 so as to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,

11 if somehow I can attain to the out-resurrection of the dead.

12 Not that I have already reached it, or have already reached perfection, but I pursue it aspiring to take hold of that for which I have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold, but one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind, and forging ahead towards the things that are in front,

14 I press on expressly towards the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, inasmuch as we are perfect, have this frame of mind. However, if you take a different view of anything, God will reveal this to you too.

16 But whatever stage we have reached, let us keep to the same line and hold to the same frame of mind.

17 Be imitators together of me, brothers, and look to those who walk this way, as you have us as an example.

18 For many walk, about whom I have often told you, and now tell you weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,

19 whose end is loss, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who have in mind earthly things,

20 for our citizenship is in the heavens, from where we also await a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,

21 who will transform our lowly body, so that it becomes conformant to his glorious body according to the force by which he is also able to subdue everything to himself.

4

1 So then, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, take this stand in the Lord, my beloved.

2 I exhort Euodias and I exhort Syntyché to be of the same frame of mind in the Lord.

3 Yes, I ask you too, my genuine yokefellow, help these women who strove with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and my other co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say it: rejoice.

5 Let your equitableness be known to all men. The Lord is nearby.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but let your requests in every matter be known to God in all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is revered, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is kindly, whatever is laudable – if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise: take account of these things.

9 And the things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace will be with you.

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because you have at last revived your thoughts on behalf of me. And on this point, you did consider me, but you lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak from a lack of anything, for I have learned to be independent of the circumstances in which I find myself.

12 And I know what it means to be brought low, and I also know what it means to have more than enough. In each and every circumstance I have learned the secret of both being fed and going hungry, and of having more than enough and of lacking things.

13 I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me.

14 But still, you have done well in sharing fellowship with me in my affliction.

15 But you Philippians also know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I came out of Macedonia, no church contributed to me in settlement of debit and credit except you alone,

16 for even in Thessalonica you more than once sent me something towards my needs.

17 Not that I seek a gift, but I seek fruit which will accrue to your account.

18 But I have received everything in full and have surplus. I have been fully supplied, having received via Epaphroditus the things from you, a sweet scent, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

19 And my God will fully supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

20 Now to the God and father of ours be glory throughout the durations of the ages. Amen.

21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers with me greet you.

22 All the saints greet you, but especially those of Caesar's household.

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.