Philippians 1-4 (New American Standard Bible)

Philippians 1

Thanksgiving

 ^1(A)Paul and ^(B)Timothy, ^(C)bond-servants of ^(D)Christ Jesus, To ^(E)all the ^(F)saints in Christ Jesus who are in ^(G)Philippi, including the ^(H)overseers and ^(I)deacons:

 ^2(J)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 ^3(K)I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

 ⁴always offering prayer with joy in ^(L)my every prayer for you all,

 ⁵in view of your ^(M)participation in the ^(N)gospel ^(O)from 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 ^(P)the day of Christ Jesus.

 ⁷For ^(Q)it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I ^(R)have you in my heart, since both in my ^(S)imprisonment and in the ^(T)defense and confirmation of the ^(U)gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

 ⁸For ^(V)God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of ^(W)Christ Jesus.

 ⁹And this I pray, that ^(X)your love may abound still more and more in ^(Y)real knowledge and all discernment,

 ¹⁰so that you may ^(Z)approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until ^(AA)the day of Christ;

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

The Gospel Is Preached

 ¹²Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances ^(AC)have turned out for the greater progress of the ^(AD)gospel,

 ¹³so that my ^(AE)imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole ^[a]praetorian guard and to ^(AF)everyone else,

 ¹⁴and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my ^(AG)imprisonment, have ^(AH)far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

 ^15(AI)Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;

 ¹⁶the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the ^(AJ)gospel;

 ¹⁷the former proclaim Christ ^(AK)out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my ^(AL)imprisonment.

 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 this will turn out for my deliverance ^(AM)through your prayers and the provision of ^(AN)the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

 ²⁰according to my ^(AO)earnest expectation and ^(AP)hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with ^(AQ)all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be ^(AR)exalted in my body, ^(AS)whether by life or by death.

To Live Is Christ

 ²¹For to me, ^(AT)to live is Christ and to die is gain.

 ²²But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean ^(AU)fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.

 ²³But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the ^(AV)desire to depart and ^(AW)be with Christ, for that is very much better;

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

 ^25(AX)Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

 ²⁶so that your ^(AY)proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

 ²⁷Only conduct yourselves in a manner ^(AZ)worthy of the ^(BA)gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are ^(BB)standing firm in ^(BC)one spirit, with one mind ^(BD)striving together for the faith of the gospel;

 ²⁸in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a ^(BE)sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

 ²⁹For to you ^(BF)it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to ^(BG)suffer for His sake,

 ³⁰experiencing the same ^(BH)conflict which ^(BI)you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Philippians 2

Be Like Christ

 ¹Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any ^(BJ)fellowship of the Spirit, if any ^(BK)affection and compassion,

 ^2(BL)make my joy complete by ^(BM)being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

 ³Do nothing from ^(BN)selfishness or ^(BO)empty conceit, but with humility of mind ^(BP)regard one another as more important than yourselves;

 ^4(BQ)do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

 ^5(BR)Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in ^(BS)Christ Jesus,

 ⁶who, although He ^(BT)existed in the ^(BU)form of God, ^(BV)did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

 ⁷but ^[b](BW)emptied Himself, taking the form of a ^(BX)bond-servant, and ^(BY)being made in the likeness of men.

 ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, ^(BZ)He humbled Himself by becoming ^(CA)obedient to the point of death, even ^(CB)death on a cross.

 ^9(CC)For this reason also, God ^(CD)highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him ^(CE)the name which is above every name,

 ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus ^(CF)EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of ^(CG)those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 ¹¹and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is ^(CH)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 ¹²So then, my beloved, ^(CI)just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your ^(CJ)salvation with ^(CK)fear and trembling;

 ¹³for it is ^(CL)God who is at work in you, both to will and to work ^(CM)for His good pleasure.

 ¹⁴Do all things without ^(CN)grumbling or disputing;

 ¹⁵so that you will prove yourselves to be ^(CO)blameless and innocent, ^(CP)children of God above reproach in the midst of a ^(CQ)crooked and perverse generation, among whom you ^(CR)appear as lights in the world,

 ¹⁶holding fast the word of life, so that in ^(CS)the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not ^(CT)run in vain nor ^(CU)toil in vain.

 ¹⁷But even if I am being ^(CV)poured out as a drink offering upon ^(CW)the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

 ¹⁸You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

 ¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to ^(CX)send ^(CY)Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.

 ²⁰For I have no one else ^(CZ)of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.

 ²¹For they all ^(DA)seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

 ²²But you know ^(DB)of his proven worth, that ^(DC)he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel ^(DD)like a child serving his father.

 ^23(DE)Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me;

 ²⁴and ^(DF)I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly.

 ²⁵But I thought it necessary to send to you ^(DG)Epaphroditus, my brother and ^(DH)fellow worker and ^(DI)fellow soldier, who is also your ^(DJ)messenger and ^(DK)minister to my need;

 ²⁶because he was longing ^[c]for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

 ²⁷For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

 ²⁸Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

 ^29(DL)Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and ^(DM)hold men like him in high regard;

 ³⁰because he came close to death ^(DN)for the work of Christ, risking his life to ^(DO)complete what was deficient in your service to me.

Philippians 3

The Goal of Life

 ¹Finally, my brethren, ^(DP)rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

 ²Beware of the ^(DQ)dogs, beware of the ^(DR)evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

 ³for ^(DS)we are the true circumcision, who ^(DT)worship in the Spirit of God and ^(DU)glory in ^(DV)Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

 ⁴although ^(DW)I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

 ^5(DX)circumcised the eighth day, of the ^(DY)nation of Israel, of the ^(DZ)tribe of Benjamin, a ^(EA)Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, ^(EB)a Pharisee;

 ⁶as to zeal, ^(EC)a persecutor of the church; as to the ^(ED)righteousness which is in the Law, found ^(EE)blameless.

 ⁷But ^(EF)whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

 ⁸More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of ^(EG)knowing ^(EH)Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

 ⁹and may be found in Him, not having ^(EI)a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, ^(EJ)the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

 ¹⁰that I may ^(EK)know Him and ^(EL)the power of His resurrection and ^(EM)the fellowship of His sufferings, being ^(EN)conformed to His death;

 ¹¹in order that I may ^(EO)attain to the resurrection from the dead.

 ¹²Not that I have already ^(EP)obtained it or have already ^(EQ)become perfect, but I press on so that I may ^(ER)lay hold of that for which also I ^(ES)was laid hold of by ^(ET)Christ Jesus.

 ¹³Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: ^(EU)forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

 ¹⁴I ^(EV)press on toward the goal for the prize of the ^(EW)upward call of God in ^(EX)Christ Jesus.

 ¹⁵Let us therefore, as many as are ^(EY)perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a ^(EZ)different attitude, ^(FA)God will reveal that also to you;

 ¹⁶however, let us keep ^(FB)living by that same standard to which we have attained.

 ¹⁷Brethren, ^(FC)join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the ^(FD)pattern you have in us.

 ¹⁸For ^(FE)many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even ^(FF)weeping, that they are enemies of ^(FG)the cross of Christ,

 ¹⁹whose end is destruction, whose god is their ^(FH)appetite, and whose ^(FI)glory is in their shame, who ^(FJ)set their minds on earthly things.

 ²⁰For ^(FK)our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly ^(FL)wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

 ²¹who will ^(FM)transform the body of our humble state into ^(FN)conformity with the ^(FO)body of His glory, ^(FP)by the exertion of the power that He has even to ^(FQ)subject all things to Himself.

Philippians 4

Think of Excellence

 ¹Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I ^(FR)long to see, my joy and crown, in this way ^(FS)stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

 ²I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to ^(FT)live in harmony in the Lord.

 ³Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my ^(FU)fellow workers, whose ^(FV)names are in the book of life.

 ^4(FW)Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

 ⁵Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. ^(FX)The Lord is near.

 ^6(FY)Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by ^(FZ)prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 ⁷And ^(GA)the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will ^(GB)guard your hearts and your ^(GC)minds in ^(GD)Christ Jesus.

 ⁸Finally, brethren, ^(GE)whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

 ⁹The things you have learned and received and heard and seen ^(GF)in me, practice these things, and ^(GG)the God of peace will be with you.

God's Provisions

 ¹⁰But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last ^(GH)you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

 ¹¹Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be ^(GI)content in whatever circumstances I am.

 ¹²I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going ^(GJ)hungry, both of having abundance and ^(GK)suffering need.

 ¹³I can do all things through Him who ^(GL)strengthens me.

 ¹⁴Nevertheless, you have done well to ^(GM)share with me in my affliction.

 ¹⁵You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the ^(GN)first preaching of the gospel, after I left ^(GO)Macedonia, no church ^(GP)shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;

 ¹⁶for even in ^(GQ)Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

 ^17(GR)Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.

 ¹⁸But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from ^(GS)Epaphroditus what you have sent, ^(GT)a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

 ¹⁹And ^(GU)my God will supply all your needs according to His ^(GV)riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 ²⁰Now to ^(GW)our God and Father ^(GX)be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 ²¹Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. ^(GY)The brethren who are with me greet you.

 ^22(GZ)All the ^(HA)saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

 ^23(HB)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ^(HC)be with your spirit.