腓立比书 2
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
效法基督的谦卑
2 所以，你们在基督里若有甚么鼓励，有甚么爱心的安慰，有甚么灵里的契通，有甚么慈悲和怜悯， 2 就应当有同样的思想，同样的爱心，要心志相同，思想一致，使我充满喜乐。 3 不要自私自利，也不要贪图虚荣，只要谦卑，看别人比自己强； 4 各人不要单顾自己的事，也要顾别人的事。 5 你们应当有这样的思想，这也是基督耶稣的思想。（全节或译：“你们当以基督耶稣的心为心。”） 6 他本来有 神的形象，却不坚持自己与 神平等的地位， 7 反而倒空自己，取了奴仆的形象，成为人的样式； 8 既然有人的样子，就自甘卑微，顺服至死，而且死在十字架上。 9 因此 神把他升为至高，并且赐给他超过万名之上的名。 10 使天上、地上和地底下的一切，因着耶稣的名，都要屈膝， 11 并且口里承认耶稣基督为主，使荣耀归给父 神。
显出生命之道
12 这样看来，我所亲爱的，你们素来是顺服的，（不但我在你们那里的时候是这样，现今我不在，你们更要顺服，）就应当恐惧战兢地作成自己的救恩。 13 神为了成全自己的美意，就在你们里面动工，使你们可以立志和行事。 14 无论作甚么，都不要发怨言、起争论， 15 好使你们无可指摘、纯真无邪，在这弯曲乖谬的世代中，作 神没有瑕疵的儿女；你们要在这世代中发光，好象天上的光体一样， 16 把生命的道显扬出来，使我在基督的日子可以夸耀我没有空跑，也没有徒劳。 17 即使把我浇奠在你们信心的祭物和供奉上，我也喜乐，并且和你们大家一同喜乐。 18 照样，你们也要喜乐，并且要和我一同喜乐。
提摩太的为人
19 我靠着主耶稣，希望不久就会差提摩太到你们那里去，使我们知道你们的情况，可以得到鼓励。 20 没有人与我同心，真正关心你们的事， 21 因为大家只顾自己的事，而不理耶稣基督的事。 22 不过，你们知道提摩太已证明了他的为人，他和我一同为了福音服事主，就像儿子跟父亲一样。 23 所以，等我看出自己的事会怎样了结之后，我希望立刻差他去； 24 而且靠着主，我相信自己不久也会去。
忠心侍候的以巴弗提
25 然而我认为必须差以巴弗提到你们那里去，他是我的弟兄，与我一同作工一同作战的，也是你们为我的需要差来服事我的。 26 他一直在想念你们众人，并且因为你们听见他病了，他就非常难过。 27 事实上他病得几乎要死，然而 神怜悯了他；不但怜悯他，也怜悯我，免得我忧上加忧。 28 所以，我更急着差他去，让你们再见到他，就可以喜乐，也可以减少我的挂虑。 29 因此，你们要在主里欢欢喜喜地接待他，也要尊重这样的人， 30 因他为了基督的工作，冒着生命的危险，差一点丧了命，为的是要补满你们服事我不足的地方。
Philippians 2
EasyEnglish Bible
Be more like Christ
2 You belong to Christ, and he makes you brave. His love makes you strong. You are able to help one another because his Spirit is in you. You can be kind to each other, and you can forgive each other. 2 Because of that, this is how you can make me completely happy: In your mind, think about things in the same way as one another. Love one another completely. In your spirit, agree with one another. And work together for the same purpose. 3 In the way that you live, do not just try to help yourself. Do not be proud. Instead, respect other people. Think about other people as more important than yourself. 4 Do not think only about the things that you want to do for yourself. Each of you should think also about how you can help other people.
5 You should think about things in the same way that Christ Jesus thought:
6 Christ had the same nature as God.
He was completely equal with God.
But he did not try to keep hold of that.
7 Instead, he chose to leave heaven.
He took for himself the nature of a slave.
He became like a human.
8 And when he lived as a man,
he made himself even less important.
He obeyed God completely, so that he died.
He even died on a cross![a]
9 Because of that, God then raised Jesus Christ to the most important place.
God gave him the name that is greater than every other name.
10 As a result, when people hear Jesus' name, they must worship him.
Everyone will have to go down on their knees in front of him.
That includes everything that is in heaven,
everything on the earth and everything under the earth.
11 Everyone will have to agree that Jesus Christ is Lord.
When they say that aloud, they will show that God the Father is very great.[b]
Christians must be like lights in the world
12 So, my friends, you must continue to obey God.[c] When I was with you, you always obeyed. Now that I am not with you, that is even more important. God has saved you. You must always live in a way which shows that is true. Respect God and obey him. Remember that he is great and powerful. 13 It is God himself who is working in you. Now you want to obey him, and he makes you strong to do that. When you obey him, that makes him very happy.
14 Whatever you are doing, do not complain. And do not argue. 15 Then you will not be guilty of anything that is wrong. You will be clean inside yourselves. You will be living in a completely good way, as God's children should. In this world, you are living among bad people who have turned away from what is good. But you must bring light into this dark place, like stars that shine in the night. 16 Tell people the true message that can give them life with God. Then I will know that my work among you had good results. Because of that, I will be very happy on the day when Christ returns.
17 You believe in Christ, and you are his servants. That is like you are offering yourselves as a sacrifice to God. Perhaps I will soon have to die. Then my blood would be like drink that I am pouring on your sacrifice, to please God. So, if I have to die now, I will be happy. And we should all be happy together. 18 Yes, it is right that you should be happy, and I will also be happy with you.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I want to send Timothy to come to you soon. I hope that the Lord Jesus will let me do that. Then, when Timothy returns to me, he can tell me news about you. And that will make me happy. 20 Timothy really loves you, as I do. There is nobody else here with me like him. 21 Everyone else thinks only about themselves. They have no interest in the things that are important to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know what Timothy is like. He has worked with me like a son works to help his father. Together we have taught people God's good news. 23 That is why I hope to send him to you soon. But first, I want to know what will happen to me here. 24 The Lordhas helped me to hope that I will soon come to you myself.
25 Whatever happens, I think I must send Epaphroditus to come back to you.[d] He is our true Christian brother. He has worked with me to serve God together. We have worked hard, like soldiers. When I needed help, you sent him to me. He has helped me on your behalf. 26 Now he wants very much to see all of you again. He became very sad, because you heard the message that he was ill. 27 Certainly, he was very ill, and he almost died. But God was kind to him. And God was kind to me too. If Epaphroditus had died, I would have become even more sad. 28 So I want even more to send him back to you. Then you can be really happy, and I will not feel sad any more.
29 Receive Epaphroditus well when he comes, and be happy. Like you, he belongs to the Lord's people. You should respect people like him and be kind to them. 30 He nearly died because he was working to serve Christ. He came to help me, because you could not help me yourselves. He was even ready to die so that he could do that on your behalf.[e]
Footnotes
- 2:8 People were fixed to a cross to die when they were guilty of doing a very bad thing. Christ agreed to die like that, but he had not done any wrong thing.
- 2:11 Verses 6-11 may have been a song that Paul knew.
- 2:12 ‘obey God’ or ‘obey me’.
- 2:25 Epaphroditus belonged to the group of Christians at Philippi. The Christians at Philippi had sent him to Rome. He had brought gifts from them to Paul. See Philippians 4:18.
- 2:30 Epaphroditus had been very ill while he was with Paul in Rome. But God had made him well again. Epaphroditus had been helping Paul on behalf of all the Christians at Philippi.
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