Philippians 4

New American Standard Bible

Think of Excellence

4 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, ^[a]whom I ^(A)long to see, my joy and crown, ^(B)stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

²I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to ^[b]^(C)live in harmony in the Lord. ³Indeed, true ^[c]companion, I ask you also, help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement as well as the rest of my ^(D)fellow workers, whose ^(E)names are in the book of life.

⁴^(F)Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. ^(G)The Lord is ^[d]near. ⁶^(H)Do not ^[e]be anxious about anything, but in everything by ^(I)prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And ^(J)the peace of God, which surpasses all ^[f]comprehension, will ^(K)guard your hearts and ^(L)minds in ^(M)Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers and sisters, ^(N)whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^[g]lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen ^(O)in me, practice these things, and ^(P)the God of peace will be with you.

God’s Provisions

¹⁰But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last ^(Q)you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked an opportunity to act. ¹¹Not that I speak ^[h]from need, for I have learned to be ^[i]^(R)content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹²I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going ^(S)hungry, both of having abundance and ^(T)suffering need. ¹³I can do all things ^[j]through Him who ^(U)strengthens me. ¹⁴Nevertheless, you have done well to ^(V)share with me in my difficulty.

¹⁵You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the ^[k]^(W)first preaching of the gospel, after I left ^(X)Macedonia, no church ^(Y)shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone; ¹⁶for even in ^(Z)Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. ¹⁷^(AA)Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the ^[l]profit which increases to your account. ¹⁸But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am ^[m]amply supplied, having received from ^(AB)Epaphroditus ^[n]what you have sent, ^[o]^(AC)a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹And ^(AD)my God will supply ^[p]all your needs according to His ^(AE)riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰Now to ^(AF)our God and Father ^(AG)be the glory ^[q]forever and ever. Amen.

²¹Greet every ^[r]saint in Christ Jesus. ^(AH)The brothers who are with me greet you. ²²^(AI)All the ^[s]^(AJ)saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

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

Footnotes

Philippians 4:1 Lit and longed for
Philippians 4:2 Or be of the same mind
Philippians 4:3 Lit yokefellow
Philippians 4:5 Or at hand
Philippians 4:6 I.e., have anxiety
Philippians 4:7 Lit mind
Philippians 4:8 Or lovable and gracious
Philippians 4:11 Lit according to
Philippians 4:11 Or self-sufficient
Philippians 4:13 Lit in
Philippians 4:15 Lit beginning of
Philippians 4:17 Lit fruit
Philippians 4:18 Lit made full
Philippians 4:18 Lit the things from you
Philippians 4:18 Lit an odor of fragrance
Philippians 4:19 Or every need of yours
Philippians 4:20 Lit to the ages of the ages
Philippians 4:21 Or holy one; i.e., God’s people
Philippians 4:22 See note v 21

Colossians 1

New American Standard Bible

Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments

1 ^(A)Paul, ^(B)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^[a]^(C)by the will of God, and ^(D)Timothy ^[b]our brother,

²To the ^[c]^(E)saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: ^(F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

³^(G)We ^[d]give thanks to God, ^(H)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴^(I)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the ^(J)love which you have ^[e]for ^(K)all the ^[f]saints; ⁵because of the ^(L)hope ^(M)reserved for you in ^[g]heaven, of which you previously ^(N)heard in the word of truth, ^[h]the gospel ⁶which has come to you, just as ^[i]^(O)in all the world also it is bearing ^(P)fruit and ^[j]increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you ^(Q)heard it and ^[k]understood the grace of God in truth; ⁷just as you learned it from ^(R)Epaphras, our ^(S)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, ⁸and he also informed us of your ^(T)love in the Spirit.

⁹For this reason we also, ^(U)since the day we heard about it, ^(V)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the ^[l]^(W)knowledge of His will in all spiritual ^(X)wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you will ^(Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^[m]^(Z)to please Him in all respects, ^(AA)bearing fruit in every good work and ^[n]increasing in the ^[o]knowledge of God; ¹¹^(AB)strengthened with all power, according to ^[p]His glorious might, ^[q]for the attaining of all perseverance and ^[r]patience; ^(AC)joyously ¹²giving thanks to ^(AD)the Father, who has qualified us ^[s]to share in ^(AE)the inheritance of the ^[t]saints in ^(AF)light.

The Incomparable Christ

¹³^[u]For He rescued us from the ^[v]^(AG)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^[w]^(AH)His beloved Son, ¹⁴^(AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵^[x]He is the ^(AJ)image of the ^(AK)invisible God, the ^(AL)firstborn of all creation: ¹⁶for ^[y]^(AM)by Him all things were created, ^(AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^(AO)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—^(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷He ^[z]^(AQ)is before all things, and in Him all things ^[aa]hold together. ¹⁸He is also the ^(AR)head of ^(AS)the body, the church; and He is ^(AT)the beginning, ^(AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹For ^[ab]it was ^(AV)the Father’s good pleasure for all ^(AW)the ^[ac]fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰and through Him to ^(AX)reconcile all things to Himself, ^(AY)whether things on earth or things in ^[ad]heaven, having made ^(AZ)peace through ^(BA)the blood of His cross.

²¹And although you were ^(BB)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, ²²yet He has now ^(BC)reconciled you in His ^(BD)body of flesh through death, in order to ^(BE)present you before Him ^(BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³if indeed you continue in ^[ae]the faith firmly ^(BG)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the ^(BH)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^(BI)in all creation under heaven, ^(BJ)and of which I, Paul, ^[af]was made a ^[ag]^(BK)minister.

²⁴^(BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(BM)I am supplementing what is lacking ^[ah]in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of ^(BN)His body, which is the church. ²⁵^(BO)I ^[ai]was made a minister of this church according to the ^(BP)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might ^[aj]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶that is, ^(BQ)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His ^[ak]saints, ²⁷to whom ^(BR)God willed to make known what ^(BS)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is ^(BT)Christ in you, the ^(BU)hope of glory. ²⁸We proclaim Him, ^(BV)admonishing every person and teaching every person ^[al]with all ^(BW)wisdom, so that we may ^(BX)present every person ^[am]^(BY)complete in Christ. ²⁹For this purpose I also ^(BZ)labor, ^(CA)striving ^(CB)according to His ^[an]power which ^[ao]works mightily within me.