Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the ^[a]bishops and ^(A)deacons:

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

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of ^[a]faith and power, did great ^(A)wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And ^(B)they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ^11 (C)Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. ¹³ They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak ^[b]blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; ^14 (D)for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

^5 (A)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to the ^(B)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

²² For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is ^(A)the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is ^(B)Christ’s slave.

²² But now ^(A)having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit ^[a]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Plea for Purity

4 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^(A)that you should abound more and more, ^(B)just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ² for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is ^(C)the will of God, ^(D)your sanctification: ^(E)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ^4 (F)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ^5 (G)not in passion of lust, ^(H)like the Gentiles ^(I)who do not know God; ⁶ that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^(J)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷ For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^(K)but in holiness. ^8 (L)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^(M)who^[a] has also given us His Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone ^(A)is in Christ, he is ^(B)a new creation; ^(C)old things have passed away; behold, all things have become ^(D)new.

¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone ^(A)fall short of the grace of God; lest any ^(B)root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

^4 (A)You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; ^(B)you have fallen from grace.