Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

always in my every prayer for you all making request with joy,

for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ.

It is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, ye are all partakers of my grace.

For God is my record how greatly I long for you all in the compassion of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment,

that ye may approve things that are excellent, and that ye may be sincere and without offense until the Day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have turned out unto the furtherance of the Gospel,

so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places;

and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much bolder to speak the Word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

The one preaches Christ out of contention and not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds;

but the other out of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the Gospel.

What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation through your prayer and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing shall I be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor; yet what I shall choose, I know not.

For I am in a strait between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better;

nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy in faith,

that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

Only let your manner of living be as becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else am absent, I may hear of your affairs that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel,

and terrified in nothing by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you,

always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy,

for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now;

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:

even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace.

For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;

so that ye may approve the things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ;

being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel;

so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest;

and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;

but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if to live in the flesh,—if this shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not.

But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:

yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith;

that your glorying may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel;

and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God;

because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf:

having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), To all the saints (God’s people) in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God in every remembrance of you,

always offering every prayer of mine with joy [and with specific requests] for all of you,

[thanking God] for your participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news [regarding salvation] from the first day [you heard it] until now.

I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].

It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus [whose great love fills me].

And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more [displaying itself in greater depth] in real knowledge and in practical insight,

so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin];

filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].

Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me [this imprisonment that was meant to stop me] has actually served to advance [the spread of] the good news [regarding salvation].

My imprisonment in [the cause of] Christ has become common knowledge throughout the whole praetorian (imperial) guard and to everyone else.

Because of my chains [seeing that I am doing well and that God is accomplishing great things], most of the brothers have renewed confidence in the Lord, and have far more courage to speak the word of God [concerning salvation] without fear [of the consequences, seeing that God can work His good in all circumstances].

Some, it is true, are [actually] preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry [toward me—for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition], but others out of goodwill and a loyal spirit [toward me].

The latter [preach Christ] out of love, because they know that I have been put here [by God on purpose] for the defense of the gospel;

but the former preach Christ [insincerely] out of selfish ambition [just self-promotion], thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

What then [does it matter]? So long as in every way, whether in pretense [for self-promotion] or in all honesty [to spread the truth], Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice [later as well],

for I know [with confidence] that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being, through your prayers and the [superabundant] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [which upholds me].

It is my own eager expectation and hope, that [looking toward the future] I will not disgrace myself nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech, even now as always, Christ will be magnified and exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].

If, however, it is to be life here and I am to go on living, this will mean useful and productive service for me; so I do not know which to choose [if I am given that choice].

But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better;

yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that your rejoicing for me may overflow in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Only [be sure to] lead your lives in a manner [that will be] worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I do come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit [and one purpose], with one mind striving side by side [as if in combat] for the faith of the gospel.

And in no way be alarmed or intimidated [in anything] by your opponents, for such [constancy and fearlessness on your part] is a [clear] sign [a proof and a seal] for them of [their impending] destruction, but [a clear sign] for you of deliverance and salvation, and that too, from God.

For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, not only to believe and confidently trust in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

[and so you are] experiencing the same [kind of] conflict which you saw me endure, and which you hear to be mine now.

Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), to all the saints (God’s consecrated people) in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops (overseers) and deacons (assistants):

Grace (favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.

In every prayer of mine I always make my entreaty and petition for you all with joy (delight).

[I thank my God] for your fellowship (your sympathetic cooperation and contributions and partnership) in advancing the good news (the Gospel) from the first day [you heard it] until now.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

It is right and appropriate for me to have this confidence and feel this way about you all, because you have me in your heart and I hold you in my heart as partakers and sharers, one and all with me, of grace (God’s unmerited favor and spiritual blessing). [This is true] both when I am shut up in prison and when I am out in the defense and confirmation of the good news (the Gospel).

For God is my witness how I long for and pursue you all with love, in the tender mercy of Christ Jesus [Himself]!

And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],

So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].

May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized].

Now I want you to know and continue to rest assured, brethren, that what [has happened] to me [this imprisonment] has actually only served to advance and give a renewed impetus to the [spreading of the] good news (the Gospel).

So much is this a fact that throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest [here] my imprisonment has become generally known to be in Christ [that I am a prisoner in His service and for Him].

And [also] most of the brethren have derived fresh confidence in the Lord because of my chains and are much more bold to speak and publish fearlessly the Word of God [acting with more freedom and indifference to the consequences].

Some, it is true, [actually] preach Christ (the Messiah) [for no better reason than] out of envy and rivalry (party spirit), but others are doing so out of a loyal spirit and goodwill.

The latter [proclaim Christ] out of love, because they recognize and know that I am [providentially] put here for the defense of the good news (the Gospel).

But the former preach Christ out of a party spirit, insincerely [out of no pure motive, but thinking to annoy me], supposing they are making my bondage more bitter and my chains more galling.

But what does it matter, so long as either way, whether in pretense [for personal ends] or in all honesty [for the furtherance of the Truth], Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I [now] rejoice, yes, and I shall rejoice [hereafter] also.

For I am well assured and indeed know that through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) this will turn out for my preservation (for the spiritual health and welfare of my own soul) and avail toward the saving work of the Gospel.

This is in keeping with my own eager desire and persistent expectation and hope, that I shall not disgrace myself nor be put to shame in anything; but that with the utmost freedom of speech and unfailing courage, now as always heretofore, Christ (the Messiah) will be magnified and get glory and praise in this body of mine and be boldly exalted in my person, whether through (by) life or through (by) death.

For me to live is Christ [His life in me], and to die is gain [the gain of the glory of eternity].

If, however, it is to be life in the flesh and I am to live on here, that means fruitful service for me; so I can say nothing as to my personal preference [I cannot choose],

But I am hard pressed between the two. My yearning desire is to depart (to be free of this world, to set forth) and be with Christ, for that is far, far better;

But to remain in my body is more needful and essential for your sake.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay by you all, to promote your progress and joy in believing,

So that in me you may have abundant cause for exultation and glorying in Christ Jesus, through my coming to you again.

Only be sure as citizens so to conduct yourselves [that] your manner of life [will be] worthy of the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, so that whether I [do] come and see you or am absent, I may hear this of you: that you are standing firm in united spirit and purpose, striving side by side and contending with a single mind for the faith of the glad tidings (the Gospel).

And do not [for a moment] be frightened or intimidated in anything by your opponents and adversaries, for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance and salvation, and that from God.

For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake not only to believe in (adhere to, rely on, and trust in) Him, but also to suffer in His behalf.

So you are engaged in the same conflict which you saw me [wage] and which you now hear to be mine [still].

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.

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

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,

always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ.

Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly.

To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will.

These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice

because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose.

I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel,

not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation—and this is from God.

For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.

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

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,

always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ.

Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly.

To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will.

These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice

because I know that this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honoured in my body, whether by life or by death.

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose.

I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ – which is far better – 

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel,

not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation – and this is from God.

For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. To all those in Philippi who are God’s people in Christ Jesus, along with your supervisors and servants.

May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers.

I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.

I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now.

I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.

I have good reason to think this way about all of you because I keep you in my heart. You are all my partners in God’s grace, both during my time in prison and in the defense and support of the gospel.

God is my witness that I feel affection for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.

I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ.

I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel.

The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I’m in prison for Christ.

Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time.

Some certainly preach Christ with jealous and competitive motives, but others preach with good motives.

They are motivated by love, because they know that I’m put here to give a defense of the gospel;

the others preach Christ because of their selfish ambition. They are insincere, hoping to cause me more pain while I’m in prison.

What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I’m glad and I’ll continue to be glad.

I’m glad because I know that this will result in my release through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

It is my expectation and hope that I won’t be put to shame in anything. Rather, I hope with daring courage that Christ’s greatness will be seen in my body, now as always, whether I live or die.

Because for me, living serves Christ and dying is even better.

If I continue to live in this world, I get results from my work.

But I don’t know what I prefer. I’m torn between the two because I want to leave this life and be with Christ, which is far better.

However, it’s more important for me to stay in this world for your sake.

I’m sure of this: I will stay alive and remain with all of you to help your progress and the joy of your faith,

and to increase your pride in Christ Jesus through my presence when I visit you again.

Most important, live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel. Do this, whether I come and see you or I’m absent and hear about you. Do this so that you stand firm, united in one spirit and mind as you struggle together to remain faithful to the gospel.

That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God.

God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake.

You are having the same struggle that you saw me face and now hear that I’m still facing.

From: Sha’ul and Timothy, slaves of the Messiah Yeshua To: All God’s people united with the Messiah Yeshua and living in Philippi, along with the congregation leaders and shammashim:

Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

I thank my God every time I think of you.

Whenever I pray for all of you I always pray with joy,

because you have shared in proclaiming the Good News from the very first day until now.

And I am sure of this: that the One who began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the Day of the Messiah Yeshua.

It is right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you on my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and establishing the Good News, you are all sharing with me in this privileged work.

God can testify how I long for all of you with the deep affection of the Messiah Yeshua.

And this is my prayer: that your love may more and more overflow in fullness of knowledge and depth of discernment,

so that you will be able to determine what is best and thus be pure and without blame for the Day of the Messiah,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Yeshua the Messiah — to the glory and praise of God.

Now, brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped in advancing the Good News.

It has become clear to the whole palace and to everyone else that it is because of the Messiah that I am in chains.

Also, my being in prison has given most of the brothers in the Lord confidence, so that they have become much more bold in speaking the word of God fearlessly.

True, some are proclaiming the Messiah out of jealousy and rivalry, but others are doing it in goodwill.

The latter act from love, aware that I am put where I am for defending the Good News;

while the former announce the Messiah out of selfish ambition, with impure motives, supposing they can stir up trouble for me in prison.

But so what? All that matters is that in every way, whether honestly or in pretense, the Messiah is being proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that this will work out for my deliverance, because of your prayers and the support I get from the Spirit of Yeshua the Messiah.

It all accords with my earnest expectation and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of; but rather, now, as always, the Messiah will be honored by my body, whether it is alive or dead.

For to me, life is the Messiah, and death is gain.

But if by living on in the body I can do fruitful work, then I don’t know which to choose.

I am caught in a dilemma: my desire is to go off and be with the Messiah — that is better by far —

but because of you, the greater need is to stay on in the body.

Yes, I am convinced of this; so I know I will stay on with you in order to help you progress in the faith and have joy in it.

Then, through my being with you again, you will have even greater reason for boasting about the Messiah Yeshua.

Only conduct your lives in a way worthy of the Good News of the Messiah; so that whether I come and see you or I hear about you from a distance, you stand firm, united in spirit, fighting with one accord for the faith of the Good News,

not frightened by anything the opposition does. This will be for them an indication that they are headed for destruction and you for deliverance. And this is from God;

because for the Messiah’s sake it has been granted to you not only to trust in him but also to suffer on his behalf,

to fight the same battles you once saw me fight and now hear that I am still fighting.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all God's people who belong to Christ Jesus at Philippi and to all your bishops and deacons.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy.

This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it.

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won't stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail.

God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows I care for you in the same way Christ Jesus does.

I pray that your love will keep on growing and you will fully know and understand

how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day,

Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.

My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news.

The Roman guards and all the others know I am here in jail because I serve Christ.

Now most of the Lord's followers have become brave and are fearlessly telling the message.

Some are preaching about Christ because they are jealous and envious of us. Others are preaching because they want to help.

They love Christ and know I am here to defend the good news about him.

But the ones who are jealous of us are not sincere. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am in jail.

But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that people are telling about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. This is what makes me glad. I will keep on being glad,

because I know that your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Christ Jesus will keep me safe.

I honestly expect and hope I will never do anything to be ashamed of. Whether I live or die, I always want to be as brave as I am now and bring honor to Christ.

If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.

I don't know what to choose. I could keep on living and doing something useful.

It is a hard choice to make. I want to die and be with Christ, because this would be much better.

But I know that all of you still need me. This is why I am sure I will stay on to help you grow and be happy in your faith.

Then, when I visit you again, you will have good reason to take great pride in Christ Jesus because of me.

Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news.

Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen,

and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him.

You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.

Paul and Timotheus, bondmen of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with [the] overseers and ministers;

grace to you, and peace from God our Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God for my whole remembrance of you,

constantly in my every supplication, making the supplication for you all with joy,

because of your fellowship with the gospel, from the first day until now;

having confidence of this very thing, that he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ's day:

as it is righteous for me to think this as to you all, because ye have *me* in your hearts, and that both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the glad tidings ye are all participators in my grace.

For God is my witness how I long after you all in [the] bowels of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and all intelligence,

that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent, in order that ye may be pure and without offence for Christ's day,

being complete as regards the fruit of righteousness, which [is] by Jesus Christ, to God's glory and praise.

But I would have you know, brethren, that the circumstances in which I am have turned out rather to the furtherance of the glad tidings,

so that my bonds have become manifest [as being] in Christ in all the praetorium and to all others;

and that the most of the brethren, trusting in [the] Lord through my bonds, dare more abundantly to speak the word of God fearlessly.

Some indeed also for envy and strife, but some also for good will, preach the Christ.

These indeed out of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the glad tidings;

but those out of contention, announce the Christ, not purely, supposing to arouse tribulation for my bonds.

What is it then? at any rate, in every way, whether in pretext or in truth, Christ is announced; and in this I rejoice, yea, also I will rejoice;

for I know that this shall turn out for me to salvation, through your supplication and [the] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ;

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but in all boldness, as always, now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether by life or by death.

For for me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain;

but if to live in flesh [is my lot], this is for me worth the while: and what I shall choose I cannot tell.

But I am pressed by both, having the desire for departure and being with Christ, [for] [it is] very much better,

but remaining in the flesh [is] more necessary for your sakes;

and having confidence of this, I know that I shall remain and abide along with you all, for your progress and joy in faith;

that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus through me by my presence again with you.

Only conduct yourselves worthily of the glad tidings of the Christ, in order that whether coming and seeing you, or absent, I may hear of what concerns you, that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul, labouring together in the same conflict with the faith of the glad tidings;

and not frightened in anything by the opposers, which is to them a demonstration of destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God;

because to you has been given, as regards Christ, not only the believing on him but the suffering for him also,

having the same conflict which ye have seen in me, and now hear of in me.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus being in Philippi, together-with the overseers and deacons:

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

I am giving-thanks to my God upon every remembrance of you,

always in my every petition for you all making the petition with joy

on-the-basis-of your partnership for the good-news from the first day until the present,

being confident-of this very thing: that the One having begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ—

just as it is right for me to think this about you all because of my having you in my heart, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good-news, you all being my co-partners of grace.

For God is my witness how I am yearning-for you all with the deep-feelings of Christ Jesus.

And I am praying this: that your love may be abounding still more and more in knowledge and all perception

so that you may be approving the things mattering, in-order-that you might be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that the things concerning me have come rather for the advancement of the good-news—

... so that my imprisonment in Christ became visible in the whole Praetorium and to all the rest,

and so that the majority of the brothers, being confident in the Lord because-of my imprisonment, are more daring to fearlessly speak the word.

Some indeed speak because of envy and strife, but some also are proclaiming Christ because of good-will.

The ones speak out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the good-news;

but the others are proclaiming Christ out of selfish-interest, not purely, supposing to raise trouble in my imprisonment.

What indeed does it matter except that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed! And I am rejoicing in this. But I also will rejoice,

for I know that this will turn-out for me for deliverance through your prayer and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

in-accordance-with my eager-expectation and hope that I will in no way be put-to-shame, but that with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death—

for to me, the living is Christ, and the dying is gain.

Now if it is the living in the flesh, this for me means fruit from work. And I do not know what I shall choose,

but am gripped by the two— having the desire that I might depart and be with Christ, for that is better by much more,

but the remaining in the flesh is more-necessary for your sake.

And being confident-of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your advancement and joy of faith,

in order that your boast may be abounding in Christ Jesus in me through my presence again with you.

Only be conducting-yourselves worthily of the good-news of Christ in order that whether having come and seen you or being absent, I may be hearing-of the things concerning you— that you are standing-firm in one spirit, contending-together with one soul for the faith of the good-news,

and not being frightened in any way by the ones opposing you— which is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation, and this from God.

Because to you was granted the thing for Christ’s sake— not only the believing in Him, but also the suffering for His sake,

having the same struggle such as you saw in me and now are hearing to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ; to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.

Grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God in every remembrance of you,

Always in all my prayers making supplication for you all, with joy;

For your communication in the gospel of Christ from the first day until now.

Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.

As it is meet for me to think this for you all, for that I have you in my heart; and that in my bands, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my joy.

For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge, and in all understanding:

That you may approve the better things, that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ,

Filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Now, brethren, I desire you should know, that the things which have happened to me, have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel:

So that my bands are made manifest in Christ, in all the court, and in all other places;

And many of the brethren in the Lord, growing confident by my bands, are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed, even out of envy and contention; but some also for good will preach Christ.

Some out of charity, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

And some out of contention preach Christ not sincerely: supposing that they raise affliction to my bands.

But what then? So that by all means, whether by occasion, or by truth, Christ be preached: in this also I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall fall out to me unto salvation, through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

According to my expectation and hope; that in nothing I shall be confounded, but with all confidence, as always, so now also shall Christ be magnified in my body, wither it be by life, or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ; and to die is gain.

And if to live in the flesh, this is to me the fruit of labour, and what I shall choose I know not.

But I am straitened between two: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, a thing by far the better.

But to abide still in the flesh, is needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, and continue with you all, for your furtherance and joy of faith:

That your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus for me, by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you, or, being absent, may hear of you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind labouring together for the faith of the gospel.

And in nothing be ye terrified by the adversaries: which to them is a cause of perdition, but to you of salvation, and this from God:

For unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.

Having the same conflict as that which you have seen in me, and now have heard of me.

Greetings from Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ. To all of you in Philippi who are God’s holy people in Christ Jesus, including your elders and special servants.

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

I thank God every time I remember you.

And I always pray for all of you with joy.

I thank God for the help you gave me while I told people the Good News. You helped from the first day you believed until now.

I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again.

I know I am right to think like this about all of you because you are so close to my heart. This is because you have all played such an important part in God’s grace to me—now, during this time that I am in prison, and whenever I am defending and proving the truth of the Good News.

God knows that I want very much to see you. I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;

that you will see the difference between what is important and what is not and choose what is important; that you will be pure and blameless for the coming of Christ;

that your life will be full of the many good works that are produced by Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to God.

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that all that has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.

All the Roman guards and all the others here know that I am in prison for serving Christ.

My being in prison has caused most of the believers to put their trust in the Lord and to show more courage in telling people God’s message.

Some people are telling the message about Christ because they are jealous and bitter. Others do it because they want to help.

They are doing it out of love. They know that God gave me the work of defending the Good News.

But those others tell about Christ because of their selfish ambition. Their reason for doing it is wrong. They only do it because they think it will make trouble for me in prison.

But that doesn’t matter. What is important is that they are telling people about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. So I am glad they are doing it. I will continue to be glad,

because I know that your prayers and the help the Spirit of Jesus Christ gives me will cause this trouble to result in my freedom.

I am full of hope and feel sure I will not have any reason to be ashamed. I am certain I will continue to have the same boldness to speak freely that I always have. I will let God use my life to bring more honor to Christ. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die.

To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit.

If I continue living here on earth, I will be able to work for the Lord. But what would I choose—to live or to die? I don’t know.

It would be a hard choice. Sometimes I want to leave this life and be with Christ. That would be much better for me;

however, you people need me here alive.

I am sure of this, so I know that I will stay here and be with you to help you grow and have joy in your faith.

When I am there with you again, you will be bursting with pride over what Christ Jesus did to help me.

Just be sure you live as God’s people in a way that honors the Good News of Christ. Then if I come and visit you or if I am away from you, I will hear good things about you. I will know that you stand together with the same purpose and that you work together like a team to help others believe the Good News.

And you will not be afraid of those who are against you. All of this is proof from God that you are being saved and that your enemies will be lost.

God has blessed you in ways that serve Christ. He allowed you to believe in Christ. But that is not all. He has also given you the honor of suffering for Christ. Both of these bring glory to Christ.

You saw the difficulties I had to face, and you hear that I am still having troubles. Now you must face them too.

Paul and Timothy write this letter to you. We are servants of Christ Jesus. We are writing to you, God's own people who live in Philippi. You belong to God because you are united with Christ Jesus. We are writing to all of you. This includes the leaders and the deacons in the church there.

We pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. We pray that they will give you peace in your minds.

Every time that I think about you, I thank my God because of you.

I am always praying for you. Every time that I pray for you, I feel very happy.

I am happy because together we tell people the good news about Christ. You have always helped me with that work, since the first day that you yourselves heard the good news.

I know that God has begun to do good things in you. And I am sure that he will continue to work in you. Then, on the day when Jesus Christ returns, his work in you will be finished.

It is right for me to feel like this about all of you, because I love you very much. God has been very kind to all of us. Because you know that, you have continued to help me. You have helped me while I have been here in this prison. You also helped me when I was free and I could teach the good news. I explained to people why the good news is God's true message. Together, we have known how kind God is.

God knows that I very much want to be with all of you. I love you very much, just like Christ Jesus himself loves you.

This is what I pray for you. I pray that you will continue to love each other more and more. I pray that you will know God better and better. I pray that you will understand all those things that are true.

Then you will be able to choose what is best in the way that you live. Then, on the day when Christ returns, you will be completely clean. You will not be guilty of any bad thing.

Because of the work that Jesus Christ has done in you, you will be right with God. And your lives will be full of good things. As a result, people will praise God and they will say that he is very great.

My friends, I want you to know this. The trouble that has happened to me has helped more people to know about God's good news.

I am in a prison because I am Christ's servant. The soldiers in the king's house and all the people here know that.

Also, because I am in a prison, most of the other believers here trust the Lord even more. The Lord has made them brave, so that they are not afraid to speak God's message to people.

It is true that some of these Christians are jealous of me. They want to show that they are better than me. That is why they tell people the message about Christ. But other Christians speak about Christ because they want to help me.

They tell people about him because they love me. They know that God has put me here in this prison. And he wants me to show people that the good news is true.

Those other people speak about Christ because they want to seem important. They do not really want to help people. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am here in this prison.

But it does not matter to me! All of them are telling people about Christ. That is the most important thing. Whether they speak because of wrong reasons or because of right reasons, they are speaking the message about Christ! Because of that, I am happy. Yes, I will continue to be happy.

You are praying for me and Jesus Christ's Spirit is helping me. So I know that what has happened to me will have a good result. Yes, God will rescue me.

I never want to do anything that will cause me to be ashamed. I hope very much that I will never do that. I want to be brave now, as I always have been. In the way that I live, I want to show that Christ is very great. I want to do that if I continue to live. And I want to do that if I die.

Christ is everything that I live for. If I die, that will be even better for me.

But if I continue to live, I will be able to do more good things to help people. I do not know whether it would be better to live or to die. I do not know which to choose.

Both of them seem very good to me. I want to leave this world so that I can be with Christ. That is a much better thing.

But you people need me to continue to live here in this world.

Yes, I am sure that you need me. For that reason, I know that I will continue to live among you. Then I will be able to help you to trust Christ even more. And that will make you even happier.

Then, when I am there with you again, you will have an even better reason to thank Christ Jesus.

The most important thing is that you continue to live in a good way. Live in the way that the good news about Christ teaches. I want to know that you agree together about the good news. And that you work together to show others that the good news is true. Whether I come to visit you or not, I want to know that you all help one another like that.

I want to know that you are not afraid of the people who speak against you. If you are brave, that will be a sign from God. It will show your enemies that they will lose and you will win. God will punish them, but he will save you.

God is helping you to serve Christ well. That means that you believe in Christ. But it also means that you receive trouble and pain on his behalf. Both of those are gifts from God.

You are receiving the same kinds of trouble that I myself receive. You saw that when I was with you. Now you hear that it is still happening to me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Every time I pray for all of you, I always pray with joy,

because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am convinced of this very thing: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I am equally convinced that it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, for both in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all share in this grace with me.

Yes, God is my witness of how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And I pray that your love may still increase more and more in knowledge and every insight.

This will result in your approval of the things that really matter, so that you will be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me actually took place to advance the gospel.

And so it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to all the rest, that I am in chains because of Christ.

And, through my chains, the majority of the brothers in the Lord have become much more confident about daring to speak the word of God fearlessly.

Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and others out of good will.

The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking they can cause trouble for me while I am in chains.

What does it matter? Only this, that in every way, whether for outward appearance or for the truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

because I know that this will turn out for my deliverance, through your prayer and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

This matches my earnest expectation and hope that I will in no way be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, so even now, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

Yes, for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I am to go on living in the flesh, that will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which should I prefer? I do not know.

I am pulled in two directions, because I have the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.

But, it is more necessary for your sake that I remain in the flesh.

And since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you, for your progress and joy in the faith.

And so by my coming to you again, my goal is to give you even more reason to boast in Christ Jesus.

Just conduct yourselves in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or am absent, I may hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, contending together with one soul for the faith of the gospel,

not frightened in any way by the adversaries. This is a sign for them of their destruction and of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been graciously granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

having the same kind of struggle that you saw I was in, and that you now hear I am still experiencing.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

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

so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

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

so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

From Paul and Timothy [2:19–24; Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; 1 and 2 Timothy], ·servants [slaves; bondservants] of Christ Jesus. To all of ·God’s holy people [^Tthe saints] in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi [^Ca city located in Macedonia, present-day northern Greece; Acts 16], including your ·overseers [^Tbishops; ^Cperhaps the same as elders] and ·deacons [servants; ministers]:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you,

always praying with joy for all of you.

I thank God for ·the help you gave me [^Lyour partnership/participation] in ·spreading the Good News [^Lthe Good News/Gospel] from the first day you believed until now.

God began doing a good work in you, and I am ·sure [confident; persuaded] he will continue it until it is ·finished [completed; perfected] ·when Jesus Christ comes again [^Lon the day of Christ Jesus; ^Cthe final day of judgment and reward].

And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you, because ·I have you in my [or you have me in your] heart. All of you ·share [are partners/co-sharers] in God’s grace with me while I am in ·prison [chains; ^CPaul is probably writing from house arrest in Rome, about ad 60; see Acts 28:30–31] and while I am defending and ·proving the truth of [confirming] the ·Good News [Gospel].

[^LFor] God ·knows [^Lis my witness] that I ·want [long] to see you very much, because I love all of you with the ·love [affection] of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer for you: that your love will ·grow [increase; abound] more and more; that you will have knowledge and ·understanding [insight; discernment] with your love;

that you will ·see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good [^Ldiscern/test and prove what is best]; that you will be pure and ·without wrong [blameless] ·for the coming [in the day; v. 6] of Christ;

that you will be filled with the ·good things produced in your life by Christ [^Lfruit of righteousness that comes through Christ] to bring glory and praise to God.

I want you brothers and sisters to know that what has happened to me has helped to ·spread [advance] the ·Good News [Gospel].

All the ·palace guards [imperial guard; ^Lpraetorium; ^CCaesar’s elite troops] and everyone else knows that I am in ·prison [chains] ·because I am a believer in [or for the cause of] Christ.

Because I am in prison, most of the ·believers [^Lbrothers (and sisters)] have become more ·bold [confident] in the Lord and ·are not afraid [^Ldare without fear] to speak the word of God.

It is true that some preach about Christ because of ·jealousy [envy] and ·ambition [rivalry], but others preach about Christ because ·they want to help [of good will/intentions].

They preach because they have love, and they know that ·God gave me the work of [I have been appointed for; or I have been put here (in prison) for] defending the ·Good News [Gospel].

But the others preach about Christ for ·selfish [selfish ambition; or rivalry] and ·wrong reasons [not sincerely], wanting to make trouble for me in ·prison [my chains].

·But it doesn’t matter [What difference does it make? or What is the result? ^LFor what?]. The important thing is that in every way, whether ·for right or wrong reasons [from false motives or true], they are preaching about Christ. So ·I am happy [^Lin this I rejoice], ·and [indeed] I will continue to ·be happy [rejoice].

Because I know ·this trouble [^Lthis] will ·bring my [result in] ·freedom [deliverance; or salvation], through your prayers and the ·help of [support from] the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

I expect and hope that I will not ·fail Christ in [^Lbe ashamed about] anything but that I will have the ·courage [boldness] now, as always, ·to show the greatness of Christ [or so that Christ will be exalted] in my ·life here on earth [^Lbody], whether I live or die.

[^LFor] To me ·the only important thing about living [^Lto live] is Christ, and ·dying would be profit for me [^Lto die is gain/profit].

If I continue living in my ·body [flesh], ·I will be able to work for the Lord [^Lthis is productive/fruitful work for me]. I do not know what to choose—living or dying.

·It is hard to choose [I am torn/hard pressed] between the two. I ·want [desire; long] to leave this life and be with Christ, which is much better,

but ·you need me here [or it is better for you that I remain] in ·my body [the flesh].

Since I am sure of this, I know I will stay with you ·to help you grow and have [^Lfor your progress/success and] joy in your faith.

[^L…so that] ·You will be very happy [or Because of me, your confidence/pride will increase; ^LYour boasting in me will abound] in Christ Jesus when I am with you again.

·Only one thing concerns me [or Whatever happens; ^LOnly]: Be sure that you ·live [conduct yourselves; live as citizens] in a way that ·brings honor to [is worthy of] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. ·Then [^L…so that] whether I come and ·visit [see] you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong ·with one purpose [with one spirit; or in the one Spirit], that you work together ·as one [with one mind/soul] for the faith ·of [or that is; or in] the ·Good News [Gospel],

and that you are not ·frightened [intimidated] in any way by ·those who are against you [your opponents]. All of this is ·proof [evidence; a sign] that ·your enemies [they] will be destroyed but that you will be saved. And ·this salvation [or this proof/evidence/sign; ^Lthis] is from God.

·God gave you the honor [^LFor it has been granted/given to you] not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for him.

You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles that you saw ·I had when I was with you [^Lin me], and ·you hear that I am still having now [^Lnow hear in me].

3 Having testified his godly and tender affection towards the Philippians, 12 he entreateth of himself and his bands: 22 And pricketh them forward by his own example, 27 and exhorteth them to unity, 28 and patience. Paul and Timothy the servants of JESUS CHRIST, to all the Saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the Bishops, and Deacons:

Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ:

I thank my God, having you in perfect memory,

(Always in all my prayers for all you, praying with gladness)

Because of the fellowship which ye have in the Gospel, from the first day unto now.

And I am persuaded of this same thing, that he that hath begun this good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,

As it becometh me so to judge of you all, because I have you in remembrance, that both in my bands, and in my defense, and confirmation of the Gospel you all were partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how I long after you all from the very heart root in Jesus Christ.

And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment,

That ye may allow those things which are best, that ye may be pure, and without offense, until the day of Christ,

Filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.

¶ I would ye understood, brethren, that the things which have come unto me, are turned rather to the furthering of the Gospel,

So that my bands in Christ are famous throughout all the judgment hall, and in all other places.

Insomuch that many of the brethren in the Lord are boldened through my bands, and dare more frankly speak the Word.

Some preach Christ even through envy and strife, and some also of good will.

The one part preacheth Christ of contention, and not purely, supposing to add more affliction to my bands.

But the others of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the Gospel.

What then: yet Christ is preached all manner ways, whether it be under a pretence, or sincerely: and I therein joy: yea, and will joy.

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and by the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

As I fervently look for, and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all confidence, as always, so now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For Christ is to me both in life and in death advantage.

And whether to live in the flesh were profitable for me, and what to choose I know not.

For I am distressed between both, desiring to be loosed and to be with Christ, which is best of all.

Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh, is more needful for you.

And this am I sure of, that I shall abide, and with you all continue, for your furtherance and joy of your faith,

That ye may more abundantly rejoice in JESUS CHRIST for me, by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your matters, that ye continue in one spirit, and in one mind, fighting together through the faith of the Gospel.

And in nothing fear your adversaries, which is to them a token of perdition, and to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given for Christ, that not only ye should believe in him, but also suffer for his sake,

Having the same fight, which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To God’s people in the city of Philippi and their bishops and deacons—to everyone who is united with Christ Jesus.

Good will  and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

I thank my God for all the memories I have of you.

Every time I pray for all of you, I do it with joy.

I can do this because of the partnership we’ve had with you in the Good News from the first day ⌞you believed⌟ until now.

I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.

You have a special place in my heart. So it’s right for me to think this way about all of you. All of you are my partners. Together we share God’s favor, whether I’m in prison or defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.

God is my witness that, with all the compassion of Christ Jesus, I long ⌞to see⌟ every one of you.

I pray that your love will keep on growing because of your knowledge and insight.

That way you will be able to determine what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Jesus Christ will fill your lives with everything that God’s approval produces. Your lives will then bring glory and praise to God.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.

As a result, it has become clear to all the soldiers who guard the emperor and to everyone else that I am in prison because of Christ.

So through my being in prison, the Lord has given most of our brothers and sisters confidence to speak God’s word more boldly and fearlessly than ever.

Some people tell the message about Christ because of their jealousy and envy. Others tell the message about him because of their good will.

Those who tell the message about Christ out of love know that God has put me here to defend the Good News.

But the others are insincere. They tell the message about Christ out of selfish ambition in order to stir up trouble for me while I’m in prison.

But what does it matter? Nothing matters except that, in one way or another, people are told the message about Christ, whether with honest or dishonest motives, and I’m happy about that. Yes, I will continue to be happy

for another reason. I know that I will be set free through your prayers and through the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of. I will speak very boldly and honor Christ in my body, now as always, whether I live or die.

Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I’ll have even more.

If I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don’t know which I would prefer.

I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That’s by far the better choice.

But for your sake it’s better that I remain in this life.

Since I’m convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you. This will help you to grow and be joyful in your faith.

So by coming to you again, I want to give you even more reason to have pride in Christ Jesus with me.

Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I’ll hear all about you. I’ll hear that you are firmly united in spirit, united in fighting for the faith that the Good News brings.

So don’t let your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is God’s way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved.

God has given you the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him.

You are involved in the same struggle that you saw me having. Now you hear that I’m still involved in it.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus— To all God's people in Philippi who are in union with Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and helpers:

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

I thank my God for you every time I think of you;

and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy

because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now.

And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.

You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly.

God is my witness that I tell the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.

I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment,

so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ.

Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, my friends, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel.

As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ.

And my being in prison has given most of the believers more confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message fearlessly.

Of course some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will.

These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel.

The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison.

It does not matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy,

because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free.

My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more.

But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose.

I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing;

but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive.

I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith,

so that when I am with you again, you will have even more reason to be proud of me in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires, so that, whether or not I am able to go and see you, I will hear that you are standing firm with one common purpose and that with only one desire you are fighting together for the faith of the gospel.

Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory.

For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him.

Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus: To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.

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

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you,

always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,

so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is in the cause of Christ.

Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.

To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will.

These do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, seeking to cause me anxiety in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice

because I know this will lead to my deliverance through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose.

I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the faith that comes from the gospel,

not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your deliverance—and this is from God.

For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,

having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ. To all of God’s holy people in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi. And to your overseers and deacons.

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

I thank God every time I remember you.

And I always pray for all of you with joy.

I thank God for the help you gave me while I preached the Good News. You helped from the first day you believed until now.

God began doing a good work in you. And he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. I am sure of that.

And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you. I am sure because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God’s grace with me. You share in God’s grace with me while I am in prison, while I am defending the Good News, and while I am proving the truth of the Good News.

God knows that I want to see you very much. I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;

that you will see the difference between good and bad and choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ;

that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.

Brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.

I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else knows this.

I am still in prison, but most of the believers feel better about it now. And so they are much braver about telling the Good News about Christ.

It is true that some preach about Christ because they are jealous and bitter. But others preach about Christ because they want to help.

They preach because they have love, and they know that God gave me the work of defending the Good News.

But others preach about Christ because they are selfish. Their reason for preaching is wrong. They want to make trouble for me in prison.

But I do not care if they make trouble for me. The important thing is that they are preaching about Christ. They should do it for the right reasons. But I am happy even if they do it for wrong reasons. And I will continue to be happy.

You are praying for me, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me. So I know that this trouble will bring my freedom.

The thing I want and hope for is that I will not fail Christ in anything. I hope that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth. I want to do that if I die or if I live.

To me the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be profit for me.

If I continue living in the body, I will be able to work for the Lord. But what should I choose—living or dying? I do not know.

It is hard to choose between the two. I want to leave this life and be with Christ. That is much better.

But you need me here in my body.

I know that you need me, and so I know that I will stay with you. I will help you grow and have joy in your faith.

You will be very happy in Christ Jesus when I am with you again.

Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear good things about you. I will hear that you continue strong with one purpose and that you work together as a team for the faith of the Good News.

And you will not be afraid of those who are against you. All of these things are proof from God that you will be saved and that your enemies will be lost.

God gave you the honor both of believing in Christ and suffering for Christ. Both these things bring glory to Christ.

When I was with you, you saw the struggles I had. And you hear about the struggles I am having now. You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles.

From: Paul and Timothy, servants of the Messiah Jesus. To: All the holy ones in Philippi, along with their overseers and ministers, who are in union with the Messiah Jesus.

May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

I thank my God every time I remember you,

always praying joyfully in every one of my prayers for all of you

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah Jesus.

For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you’re constantly on my mind. Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege.

For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion that the Messiah Jesus provides.

And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight,

so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah returns,

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiah so that God will be glorified and praised.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually caused the gospel to advance.

As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison for preaching about the Messiah.

Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God’s word more boldly and courageously than ever before.

Some are preaching the Messiah because of jealousy and dissension, while others do so because of their good will.

The latter are motivated by love, because they know that I have been appointed to defend the gospel.

The former proclaim the Messiah because they are selfishly ambitious and insincere, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment.

But so what? Just this—that in every way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiah is being proclaimed. Because of this, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice.

I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus the Messiah.

I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my boldness the Messiah will be exalted through me, now as always, whether I live or die.

For to me, to go on living is the Messiah, and to die is gain.

Now if I continue living, fruitful labor is the result, so I do not know which I would prefer.

Indeed, I cannot decide between the two. I have the desire to leave this life and be with the Messiah, for that is far better.

But for your sake it is better that I remain alive.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you, so you will mature in the faith and know joy in it.

Then your rejoicing in the Messiah Jesus will increase along with mine when I visit with you again.

The only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Messiah. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you—that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and that you are not intimidated by your opponents in any way. This is evidence that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved—and all because of God.

For you have been given the privilege for the Messiah’s sake not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.

You have the same struggle that you saw in me and now hear that I am still having.

Paul and Timothy, true servants of Jesus Christ, to the bishops, deacons and all true Christians at Philippi, grace and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord!

I thank God for you Christians at Philippi whenever I think of you. My constant prayers for you are a real joy, for they bring back to my mind how we have worked together for the Gospel from the earliest days until now. I feel sure that the one who has begun his good work in you will go on developing it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is only natural that I should feel like this about you all—you are very dear to me. For during the time I was in prison as well as when I was out defending and demonstrating the power of the Gospel we shared together the grace of God. God knows how much I long, with the deepest Christian love and affection, for your companionship. My prayer for you is that you may have still more love—a love that is full of knowledge and wise insight. I want you to be able always to recognise the highest and the best, and to live sincere and blameless lives until the day of Jesus Christ. I want to see your lives full of true goodness, produced by the power that Jesus Christ gives you to the praise and glory of God.

Now, concerning myself, I want you to know, my brothers, that what has happened to me has, in effect, turned out to the advantage of the Gospel. For, first of all, my imprisonment means a personal witness for Christ before the palace guards not to mention others who come and go. Then, it means that most of our brothers, somehow taking fresh heart in the Lord from the very fact that I am a prisoner for Christ’s sake, have shown far more courage in boldly proclaiming the Word of God. I know that some are preaching Christ out of jealousy, in order to annoy me, but some are preaching him in good faith. These latter are preaching out of their love for me. For they know that God has set me here in prison to defend our right to preach the Gospel. The motive of the former is questionable—they preach in a partisan spirit, hoping to make my chains even more galling than they would otherwise be. But what does it matter? However they may look at it, the fact remains that Christ is being preached, whether sincerely or not, and that fact makes me very happy. Yes, and I shall go on being very happy, for I know that what is happening will be for the good of my own soul, thanks to your prayers and the resources of the spirit of Jesus Christ. It all accords with my own earnest wishes and hopes, which are that I should never be in any way ashamed, but that now, as always, I should honour Christ with the utmost boldness by the way I live, whether that means I am to face death or to go on living. For living to me means simply “Christ”, and if I die I should merely gain more of him. I realise, of course, that the work which I have started may make it necessary for me to go on living in this world, I should find it very hard to make a choice. I am torn in two directions—on the one hand I long to leave this world and live with Christ, and that is obviously the best thing for me. Yet, on the other hand, it is probably more necessary for you that I should stay here on earth. That is why I feel pretty well convinced that I shall not leave this world yet, but shall be able to stand by you, to help you forward in Christian living and to find increasing joy in your faith. So you can look forward to making much of me as your minister in Christ when I come to see you again!

But whatever happens, make sure that your everyday life is worthy of the Gospel of Christ. So that whether I do come and see you, or merely hear about you from a distance, I may know that you are standing fast in a united spirit, battling with a single mind for the faith of the Gospel and not caring two straws for your enemies. The very fact that they are your enemies is plain proof that they are lost to God, while the fact that you have such men as enemies is plain proof that you yourselves are being saved by God. You are given, in this battle, the privilege not merely of believing in Christ but also of suffering for his sake. It is now your turn to take part in that battle you once saw me engaged in, and which, in point of fact, I am still fighting.

¶ Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

¶ I thank my God upon every remembrance of you

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

for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.

¶ Even as it is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are joint partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

¶ And this I pray that your charity may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all perception,

that ye may approve the best, that ye may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ,

being filled with fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

¶ But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel,

so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places;

and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach the Christ even out of envy and strife, but others also out of good will.

Some preach the Christ out of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add tribulation to my bonds,

but the others out of charity, knowing that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, and will even rejoice.

For I know that this shall become my saving health through your prayer and the nourishment of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

¶ For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour, yet I do not know what to choose.

For I am in a strait between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better:

nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith,

that your glorying in Jesus Christ may be more abundant by my coming to you again.

¶ Only let your conversation be as is worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, unanimous, working together for the faith of the gospel,

and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of saving health and that of God.

For unto you it is granted regarding Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,

having the same conflict which ye saw in me and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

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

for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace.

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in full knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault until the day of Christ,

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

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

so that my chains in Christ have become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

and that most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord because of my chains, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;

the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me affliction in my chains.

What 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,

for I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know what I will choose.

But I am hard-pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better,

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

And convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that your reason for boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me, through my coming to you again.

Only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about your circumstances, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind contending together for the faith of the gospel,

in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

having the same struggle which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.

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

I give thanks to my God upon my every remembrance of you,

always in my every prayer for all of you, making the prayer with joy,

because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now,

convinced of this same thing, that the one who began a good work in you will finish it until the day of Christ Jesus,

just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you are sharers of grace with me.

For God is my witness, that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is superior, in order that you may be sincere and blameless in the day of Christ,

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have happened instead for the progress of the gospel,

so that my imprisonment in Christ has become known in the whole praetorium and to all the rest,

and most of the brothers, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, dare even more to speak the word without fear.

Some even because of envy and strife preach Christ, but some also because of good will.

The latter do so from love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction in my imprisonment.

What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. But also I will rejoice,

for I know that this will turn out to me for deliverance through your prayer and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will be put to shame in nothing, but with all boldness, even now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether through life or through death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But if it is to live in the flesh, this is fruitful work for me, and which I will prefer I do not know.

But I am hard pressed between the two options, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for this is very much better.

But to stay on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that what you can be proud of may increase in Christ Jesus because of me through my return again to you.

Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear your circumstances, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God,

because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him,

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

From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. To: The pastors and deacons and all the Christians in the city of Philippi.

May God bless you all. Yes, I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give each of you his fullest blessings and his peace in your hearts and your lives.

All my prayers for you are full of praise to God!

When I pray for you, my heart is full of joy

because of all your wonderful help in making known the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.

How natural it is that I should feel as I do about you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and when I was out, defending the truth and telling others about Christ.

Only God knows how deep is my love and longing for you—with the tenderness of Jesus Christ.

My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight,

for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns.

May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.

And I want you to know this, dear brothers: Everything that has happened to me here has been a great boost in getting out the Good News concerning Christ.

For everyone around here, including all the soldiers over at the barracks, knows that I am in chains simply because I am a Christian.

And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here seem to have lost their fear of chains! Somehow my patience has encouraged them, and they have become more and more bold in telling others about Christ.

Some, of course, are preaching the Good News because they are jealous of the way God has used me. They want reputations as fearless preachers! But others have purer motives,

preaching because they love me, for they know that the Lord has brought me here to use me to defend the Truth. And some preach to make me jealous, thinking that their success will add to my sorrows here in jail!

But whatever their motive for doing it, the fact remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am glad.

I am going to keep on being glad, for I know that as you pray for me, and as the Holy Spirit helps me, this is all going to turn out for my good.

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die.

For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying—well, that’s better yet!

But if living will give me more opportunities to win people to Christ, then I really don’t know which is better, to live or die!

Sometimes I want to live, and at other times I don’t, for I long to go and be with Christ. How much happier for me than being here!

But the fact is that I can be of more help to you by staying!

Yes, I am still needed down here, and so I feel certain I will be staying on earth a little longer, to help you grow and become happy in your faith;

my staying will make you glad and give you reason to glorify Christ Jesus for keeping me safe when I return to visit you again.

But whatever happens to me, remember always to live as Christians should, so that whether I ever see you again or not, I will keep on hearing good reports that you are standing side by side with one strong purpose—to tell the Good News

fearlessly, no matter what your enemies may do. They will see this as a sign of their downfall, but for you it will be a clear sign from God that he is with you, and that he has given you eternal life with him.

For to you has been given the privilege not only of trusting him but also of suffering for him.

We are in this fight together. You have seen me suffer for him in the past; and I am still in the midst of a great and terrible struggle now, as you know so well.

Paul and Timothy, both of us committed servants of Christ Jesus, write this letter to all the followers of Jesus in Philippi, pastors and ministers included. We greet you with the grace and peace that comes from God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

It’s not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.

I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah.

It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them.

So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! And I’m going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a platform! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his prize. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.

As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.

Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God for every reminder of you.

In every prayer of mine for you all, I have always made requests with joy,

due to your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonments and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers of my grace.

For God is my witness, how I long after you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all discernment,

that you may approve things that are excellent so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

But I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have resulted in advancing the gospel,

so that my imprisonments in Christ have become known throughout the entire palace guard and to all the rest.

And a great many of the brothers in the Lord, having become confident because of my incarcerations, have dared to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed are preaching Christ out of envy and strife, and some also from good will.

The former preach Christ out of contention, not sincerely, intending to add trouble to my circumstance.

But the latter preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Indeed, I will rejoice.

For I know that through your prayer and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will result in my deliverance.

Accordingly, it is my earnest expectation and my hope that I shall be ashamed in nothing, but that with all boldness as always, so now also, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For to me, to continue living is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor to me. Yet I do not know what I shall choose.

I am in a difficult position between the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better.

Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.

Having this confidence, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your joyful advancement of the faith,

so that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ when I am in your presence again.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether or not I come and see you, I may hear of your activities, that you are standing fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.

Do not be frightened by your adversaries. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this from God.

For to you it was granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

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

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, along with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank · my God every time · I remember you.

Always in every prayer of mine for all of you I pray with joy,

because of · your partnership in the gospel from the first day until · now.

For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in · my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all share with me in the grace of God.

For God is my witness · that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that · your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may determine what is essential, and so be pure and without blame on the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has turned out to advance the gospel even more,

so that it has become known throughout the entire palace guard, and by everyone else, that · my imprisonment is for Christ,

and that · most of the brothers, having gained confidence in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare more than ever to speak the word of God without fear.

To be sure, some · are proclaiming Christ out of envy and strife, but others · out of goodwill. ·

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am here for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ out of a sense of hostility, · not sincerely, intending to increase my distress while I am in prison.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through · your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

It is · my earnest expectation and hope that I will in no way be put to shame, but that with complete boldness, now as always, · Christ will be exalted in · my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If · I am to go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; yet I do not know which I would prefer.

I am hard pressed · between the two, in that I have the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is much better by far,

yet for your sake it is better that I remain in the flesh.

So, convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for · your progress and joy in the faith,

so that when I come again to you, · your boasting in Christ Jesus might abound because of me. ·

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or remain away, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way frightened by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you—and that from God.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him,

since you are experiencing the same conflict which you saw me in, and now hear that I still face.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Yeshua. To God’s people in the city of Philippi and their bishops and deacons—to everyone who is united with Christ Yeshua.

Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua Christ are yours!

I thank my God for all the memories I have of you.

Every time I pray for all of you, I do it with joy.

I can do this because of the partnership we’ve had with you in the Good News from the first day you believed until now.

I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Yeshua.

You have a special place in my heart. So it’s right for me to think this way about all of you. All of you are my partners. Together we share God’s favor, whether I’m in prison or defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.

God is my witness that, with all the compassion of Christ Yeshua, I long to see every one of you.

I pray that your love will keep on growing because of your knowledge and insight.

That way you will be able to determine what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Yeshua Christ will fill your lives with everything that God’s approval produces. Your lives will then bring glory and praise to God.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.

As a result, it has become clear to all the soldiers who guard the emperor and to everyone else that I am in prison because of Christ.

So through my being in prison, the Lord has given most of our brothers and sisters confidence to speak God’s word more boldly and fearlessly than ever.

Some people tell the message about Christ because of their jealousy and envy. Others tell the message about him because of their good will.

Those who tell the message about Christ out of love know that God has put me here to defend the Good News.

But the others are insincere. They tell the message about Christ out of selfish ambition in order to stir up trouble for me while I’m in prison.

But what does it matter? Nothing matters except that, in one way or another, people are told the message about Christ, whether with honest or dishonest motives, and I’m happy about that. Yes, I will continue to be happy

for another reason. I know that I will be set free through your prayers and through the help that comes from the Spirit of Yeshua Christ.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of. I will speak very boldly and honor Christ in my body, now as always, whether I live or die.

Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I’ll have even more.

If I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don’t know which I would prefer.

I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That’s by far the better choice.

But for your sake it’s better that I remain in this life.

Since I’m convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you. This will help you to grow and be joyful in your faith.

So by coming to you again, I want to give you even more reason to have pride in Christ Yeshua with me.

Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I’ll hear all about you. I’ll hear that you are firmly united in spirit, united in fighting for the faith that the Good News brings.

So don’t let your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is God’s way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved.

God has given you the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him.

You are involved in the same struggle that you saw me having. Now you hear that I’m still involved in it.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and ministers:

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

I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,

praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,

because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right that I should think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,

to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the gospel,

so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest,

and so that the majority of the brothers, having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly.

Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will.

The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.

What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,

for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.

I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better.

Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.

And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel,

not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.

For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.

Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ;

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else,

and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill;

the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. But not only that, I also will rejoice,

for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

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

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

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

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

so that your pride in Christ Jesus may be abundant because of me by my coming to you again.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

and in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and this too, from God.

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf,

experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

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

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

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

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;

the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

What 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,

for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

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

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

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

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

so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

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

in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with their bishops and deacons:

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

I give thanks to my God every time I think of you.

I always pray for you, interceding for you with joy

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this: that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.

It is only right for me to feel this way toward you, because I hold you in my heart, for you have all shared with me in God’s grace, both during my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Indeed, God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And for this I pray: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and full insight

to enable you to discover what is really important, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Brethren, I want you to know that what has happened to me has actually helped spread the gospel,

for my imprisonment has become known not only throughout the praetorium but to everyone else as well.

And the majority of the brethren having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word without fear.

It is true that some are proclaiming Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others are doing so with goodwill.

These latter ones do so out of love, aware that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not in sincerity, but in an effort to increase my suffering while I am in chains.

But what does it matter, as long as in every way, with false motives or true, that Christ is proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and with the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in deliverance for me.

It is my firm expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but will act with complete fearlessness, now as always, so that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by my life or by my death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But if I continue living in the body, that will mean fruitful work for me. Hence, I do not know which I should choose.

I am pulled in opposite directions. My desire is to depart and to be with Christ, for that is far better,

but, it is a more urgent need for you that I remain in the body.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with all of you to ensure your progress and joy in the faith.

Thus, you will rebound with joy in Christ Jesus when I return to be with you once again.

Only live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or simply hear news of you from a distance, I will know that you are standing firm and united in spirit, striving together for the faith of the gospel,

and being in no way intimidated by those who oppose you. This will be a clear sign to them of their forthcoming destruction as well as of your salvation. All of this is in accord with God’s design.

For it has been granted you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him.

You are taking part in the same struggle that you have seen in me and that you now hear I am experiencing.

From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. To all of God’s holy people in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi, including your overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you,

always praying with joy for all of you.

I thank God for the help you gave me while I preached the Good News—help you gave from the first day you believed until now.

God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.

And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you, because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God’s grace with me while I am in prison and while I am defending and proving the truth of the Good News.

God knows that I want to see you very much, because I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.

This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love;

that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ;

that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.

I want you brothers and sisters to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News.

All the palace guards and everyone else knows that I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ.

Because I am in prison, most of the believers have become more bold in Christ and are not afraid to speak the word of God.

It is true that some preach about Christ because they are jealous and ambitious, but others preach about Christ because they want to help.

They preach because they have love, and they know that God gave me the work of defending the Good News.

But the others preach about Christ for selfish and wrong reasons, wanting to make trouble for me in prison.

But it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that in every way, whether for right or wrong reasons, they are preaching about Christ. So I am happy, and I will continue to be happy.

Because you are praying for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me, I know this trouble will bring my freedom.

I expect and hope that I will not fail Christ in anything but that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth, whether I live or die.

To me the only important thing about living is Christ, and dying would be profit for me.

If I continue living in my body, I will be able to work for the Lord. I do not know what to choose—living or dying.

It is hard to choose between the two. I want to leave this life and be with Christ, which is much better,

but you need me here in my body.

Since I am sure of this, I know I will stay with you to help you grow and have joy in your faith.

You will be very happy in Christ Jesus when I am with you again.

Only one thing concerns me: Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear that you are standing strong with one purpose, that you work together as one for the faith of the Good News,

and that you are not afraid of those who are against you. All of this is proof that your enemies will be destroyed but that you will be saved by God.

God gave you the honor not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for him, both of which bring glory to Christ.

When I was with you, you saw the struggles I had, and you hear about the struggles I am having now. You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles.

From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.

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

I thank my God every time I remember you.

I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you

because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.

For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight

so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:

The whole imperial guard and everyone else knows that I am in prison for the sake of Christ,

and most of the brothers and sisters, having confidence in the Lord because of my imprisonment, now more than ever dare to speak the word fearlessly.

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.

What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My confident hope is that I will in no way be ashamed but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Now if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean productive work for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer:

I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body.

And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith,

so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which is from God.

For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him,

since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.

We, Paul and Timothy, are writing this letter. We serve Christ Jesus. We are sending this letter to you, all God’s holy people in Philippi. You belong to Christ Jesus. We are also sending this letter to your leaders and deacons.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.

I am happy because you have joined me in spreading the good news. You have done so from the first day until now.

God began a good work in you. And I am sure that he will carry it on until it is completed. That will be on the day Christ Jesus returns.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you. I love you with all my heart. I may be held by chains, or I may be standing up for the truth of the good news. Either way, all of you share in God’s grace together with me.

God is my witness that I long for all of you. I love you with the love that Christ Jesus gives.

I pray that your love will grow more and more. And let it be based on knowledge and understanding.

Then you will be able to know what is best. Then you will be pure and without blame for the day that Christ returns.

You will be filled with the fruit of right living produced by Jesus Christ. All these things bring glory and praise to God.

Brothers and sisters, here is what I want you to know. What has happened to me has actually helped to spread the good news.

One thing has become clear. I am being held by chains because I am a witness for Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else know it.

And because I am a prisoner, most of the believers have become bolder in the Lord. They now dare even more to preach the good news without fear.

It’s true that some preach about Christ because they are jealous. But others preach about Christ to help me in my work.

The last group acts out of love. They know I have been put here to be a witness for the good news.

But the others preach about Christ only to get ahead. They preach Christ for the wrong reasons. They think they can stir up trouble for me while I am being held by chains.

But what does it matter? Here is the important thing. Whether for right or wrong reasons, Christ is being preached about. That makes me very glad. And I will continue to be glad.

I know that you are praying for me. I also know that God will give me the Spirit of Jesus Christ to help me. So no matter what happens, I’m sure I will still be set free.

I completely expect and hope that I won’t be ashamed in any way. I’m sure I will be brave enough. Now as always Christ will receive glory because of what happens to me. He will receive glory whether I live or die.

For me, life finds all its meaning in Christ. Death also has its benefits.

Suppose I go on living in my body. Then I will be able to carry on my work. It will bear a lot of fruit. But what should I choose? I don’t know!

I can’t decide between the two. I long to leave this world and be with Christ. That is better by far.

But it is more important for you that I stay alive.

I’m sure of this. So I know I will remain with you. And I will continue with all of you to help you grow in your faith. I will also continue to help you be joyful in what you have been taught.

I’m sure I will be with you again. Then you will be able to boast in Christ Jesus even more because of me.

No matter what happens, live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then I will know that you remain strong together in the one Spirit. I will know this if I come and see you or only hear about you. I will know that you work together as one person. I will know that you work to spread the teachings about the good news.

So don’t be afraid in any way of those who oppose you. This will show them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved. That’s what God will do.

Here is what he has given you to do for Christ. You must not only believe in him. You must also suffer for him.

You are going through the same struggle you saw me go through. As you have heard, I am still struggling.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

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

so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel.

The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

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

so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,

since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

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

for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:

The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;

but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.

For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,

that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

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

This letter is from Paul and Timothy. We are servants owned by Jesus Christ. This letter is to all who belong to Christ Jesus who are living in the city of Philippi and to the church leaders and their helpers also.

May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank God for you whenever I think of you.

I always have joy as I pray for all of you.

It is because you have told others the Good News from the first day you heard it until now.

I am sure that God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

It is right for me to feel like this about all of you. It is because you are very dear to me. While I was in prison and when I was proving that the Good News is true, you all shared God’s loving-favor with me.

God knows what I am saying. He knows how much I love you all with a love that comes from Jesus Christ.

And this is my prayer: I pray that your love will grow more and more. I pray that you will have better understanding and be wise in all things.

I pray that you will know what is the very best. I pray that you will be true and without blame until the day Christ comes again.

And I pray that you will be filled with the fruits of right living. These come from Jesus Christ, with honor and thanks to God.

Christian brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped spread the Good News.

Everyone around here knows why I am in prison. It is because I preached about Jesus Christ. All the soldiers who work for the leader of the country know why I am here.

Because of this, most of my Christian brothers have had their faith in the Lord made stronger. They have more power to preach the Word of God without fear.

Some are preaching because they are jealous and want to make trouble. Others are doing it for the right reason.

These do it because of love. They know that I am put here to prove the Good News is true.

The others preach about Christ for what they get out of it. Their hearts are not right. They want to make me suffer while I am in prison.

What difference does it make if they pretend or if they are true? I am happy, yes, and I will keep on being happy that Christ is preached.

Because of your prayers and the help the Holy Spirit gives me, all of this will turn out for good.

I hope very much that I will have no reason to be ashamed. I hope to honor Christ with my body if it be by my life or by my death. I want to honor Him without fear, now and always.

To me, living means having Christ. To die means that I would have more of Him.

If I keep on living here in this body, it means that I can lead more people to Christ. I do not know which is better.

There is a strong pull from both sides. I have a desire to leave this world to be with Christ, which is much better.

But it is more important for you that I stay.

I am sure I will live to help you grow and be happy in your faith.

This will give you reason to give more thanks to Christ Jesus when I come to visit you again.

Live your lives as the Good News of Christ says you should. If I come to you or not, I want to hear that you are standing true as one. I want to hear that you are working together as one, preaching the Good News.

Do not be afraid of those who hate you. Their hate for you proves they will be destroyed. It proves you have life from God that lasts forever.

You are not only to put your trust in Him, but you are to suffer for Him also.

You know what the fight is like. Now it is time for you to have a part in it as I have.

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,

for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.

God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.

For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.

And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.

They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News.

Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.

But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better.

I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.

Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God with every remembrance of you,

always in all my prayers for you, and pray with gladness,

because of the fellowship that you have had in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am confident of this: that he who began a good work in you will go forth with it until the day of Jesus Christ –

as it is fitting for me so to judge of you all, because I have you in my heart, and have you also every one companions of grace with me, even in my bonds, as I defend and establish the gospel.

For God is my witness how greatly I long after you all from the very heart root in Jesus Christ.

And this I pray: that your love may increase more and more in knowledge and in all experience,

that you may accept the things of most value, that you may be pure, and such as would hurt no man’s conscience until the day of Christ –

filled with the fruits of righteousness, which fruits come by Jesus Christ for the glory and laud of God.

I would you understood, brethren, that my trouble has served for the great furthering of the gospel.

For my bonds in Christ are manifest throughout all the judgment hall and in all other places,

and many of the brethren in the Lord are emboldened through my bonds, and dare to more freely speak the word without fear.

Some there are who preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and some of goodwill.

The one part preach Christ out of rivalry, and not purely, supposing to add more adversity to my bonds,

but the other part out of love, because they see that I am set to defend the gospel.

What then? If only Christ be preached – whatever the way, whether through opportunism or of a true intent – I rejoice.

Yea, and I will rejoice, because I know that these circumstances will bear toward my salvation (through your prayer and ministering of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

as I heartily look for), and hope that in nothing I will be ashamed, but that with all confidence, as always in times past, so now Christ may be magnified in my body, whether it be through life or death.

For Christ is to me life, and death is to me gain.

If it happens that I live in the flesh, it means fruitful work for me, and what to choose I do not know.

I am constrained by two things: I desire to be released and to be with Christ, which thing is best of all.

Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

And this I am sure of: that I will abide, and continue with you all for the furtherance and joy of your faith,

so that you may more abundantly rejoice in Jesus Christ through me, by my coming to you again.

Only be sure that you live worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may yet hear of you that you continue in one spirit and in one soul, labouring as we do to maintain the faith of the gospel –

and in nothing fearing your adversaries, which is to them a sign of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For to you it is given not only to believe on Christ, but also to suffer for his sake,

and to have even the same fight which you saw me have and now hear of me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you,

constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

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

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight

to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ;

and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defence of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer.

I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith,

so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—

since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you,

constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.

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

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight

to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ;

and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defence of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer.

I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith,

so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—

since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God every time I remember you,

constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

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

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight

to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ;

and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.

These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.

I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith,

so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—

since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God for every remembrance of you,

always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy

for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, for all of you are my partners in God’s grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight

to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,

having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the progress of the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ,

and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry but others from goodwill.

These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel;

the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my salvation.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way but that by my speaking with all boldness Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me, yet I cannot say which I will choose.

I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better,

but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith,

so that, by my presence again with you, your boast might abound in Christ Jesus because of me.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel

and in no way frightened by those opposing you. For them, this is evidence of their destruction but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing.

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well,

since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Messiah Jesus, to all God’s holy ones in Messiah Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and ministers:

grace to you and peace, from God our father and Messiah Jesus the Lord.

I thank my God every time I think of you!

I always pray with joy, whenever I pray for you all,

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Of this I’m convinced: the one who began a good work in you will thoroughly complete it by the day of Messiah Jesus.

It’s right for me to think this way about all of you. You have me in your hearts, here in prison as I am, working to defend and bolster up the gospel. You are my partners in grace, all of you!

Yes: God can bear witness how much I’m longing for all of you with the deep love of Messiah Jesus.

And this is what I’m praying: that your love may overflow still more and more, in knowledge and in all astute wisdom.

Then you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil, and be sincere and faultless on the day of the Messiah,

filled to overflowing with the fruit of right living, fruit that comes through Messiah Jesus to God’s glory and praise.

Now, my dear family, I want you to know that the things I’ve been through have actually helped the gospel on its way.

You see, everybody in the Imperial Guard, and all the rest for that matter, have heard that I am here, chained up, because of the Messiah.

My imprisonment has given new confidence to most of the Lord’s family; they are now much more prepared to speak the word boldly and fearlessly.

There are some, I should say, who are proclaiming the Messiah because of envy and rivalry; but there are others who are doing it out of good will.

These last are acting from love, since they know that I’m in prison because of defending the gospel;

but the others are announcing the Messiah out of selfishness and jealousy. They are not acting from pure motives. They imagine that they will make more trouble for me in my captivity.

So what? Only this: the Messiah is being announced, whether people mean it or not! I’m happy to celebrate that! Yes, and I really am going to celebrate:

because I know that this will result in my rescue, through your prayer and the support of the spirit of Messiah Jesus.

I’m waiting eagerly and full of hope, because nothing is going to put me to shame. I am going to be bold and outspoken, now as always, and the Messiah is going to gain a great reputation through my body, whether in life or in death.

You see, for me to live means the Messiah; to die means to make a profit.

If it’s to be living on in the flesh, that means fruitful work for me. Actually, I don’t know which I would choose.

I’m pulled both ways at once: I would really love to leave all this and be with the Messiah, because that would be far better.

But staying on here in the flesh is more vital for your sake.

Since I’ve become convinced of this, I know that I will remain here, and stay alongside all of you, to help you to advance and rejoice in your faith,

so that the pride you take in Messiah Jesus may overflow because of me, when I come to visit you once again.

The one thing I would stress is this: your public behavior must match up to the gospel of the Messiah. That way, whether I do come and see you or whether I remain elsewhere, the news that I get about you will indicate that you are standing firm with a single spirit, struggling side by side with one united intent for the faith of the gospel,

and not letting your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is a sign from God: one that signifies their destruction, but your salvation.

Yes: God has granted you that, on behalf of the Messiah, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

You are engaged in the same struggle which you once watched me go through; and, as you now hear, I’m still going through it.

From Sha’ul and Timotiyos, servants of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua; To all the Kadoshim in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua who are in the city of Philippi with the supervising mashgichim ruchaniyim (spiritual overseers, zekenim, mivakkerim, supervisors) and the klei kodesh (ministers), the ministering messianic shammashim.

Chen v’chesed Hashem and shalom Hashem from Elohim Avinu and Adoneinu Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.

Modeh Ani (I thank) my G-d upon every zikaron (remembrance) of you,

Always in every tefillah of mine on behalf of all of you, davening with simcha, making techinnah (supplication)

In view of your deveykus Hashem, your chavrusa partnership in the Besuras HaGeulah from day one until now.

Being convinced of this: that He who began a pe’ulah hatovah (good work 2:13) in you, will bring that mitzvoh to completion [TEHILLIM 138:8] by Yom Hashem, the Yom Adoneinu, Moshiach Yehoshua [1:10; 2:16].

It is in fact b’tzedek for me to have hitbonenut (profound contemplation) about you all because I hold you in my lev with hartzige (heartfelt) sincerity, both in regard to my sharsherot (prison chains) and in the apologetic hitstaddekut (defense) and vindicatory work for the Besuras HaGeulah, you being all deveykus (attachment to G-d) participators in the Chen v’Chesed Hashem given to me.

For der Oybershter is mine eidus (G-d is my witness) how I yearn for all of you with the ahavas Moshiach Yehoshua.

And my tefillah (prayer) is this, that your ahavah (love) [in Moshiach] may yet increase more and more in profound da’as and binah

To help you approve the feste (excellent) things of musar (moral discipline) that matter, that you may be sincere and without michshol (stumbling block) of blame [2:15] in the Yom HaMoshiach [1:6; 2:16],

Having been filled with the p’ri Tzedek (fruit of righteousness) through Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua to the kavod Hashem and His tiferet (splendor).

I want you to have da’as, Achim b’Moshiach, that the things concerning me have fallen out to an even greater advancement (1:25) of the Besuras HaGeulah [2Ti 2:9].

So that my sharsherot (chains—1:7) have become a hisgalus (revelation) in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach! In all the imperial guard and the public at large!

And most of the Achim b’Adoneinu, having been strengthened in bitachon by my sharsherot (chains), are more readily willing to dare to fearlessly proclaim the Dvar Hashem.

Indeed some darshanim (preachers) preach their derashot (sermons) out of a ruach that is mekanne (jealous, envious) and one of madon (strife); but some have derashot proclaiming Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and these darshanim have kavvanah tovah (good intention).

These latter proclaim Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach out of a ruach of ahavah, having da’as that the purpose of my divinely destined appointment here is for the hitstaddekut (apologetic defense) of the Besuras HaGeulah.

But those other ones preach Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach out of anochiyut (selfishness 2:3), not with a lev tahor (pure in heart) motive, lu yetzuuyar (assuming) by means of my sharsherot (1:13-14) to stir up tzoros.

Nu? Whether the maggidim are or are not perfect in their intent, the significant thing is that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach is preached! And in this I have simcha. And I will go right on having simcha!

For, I have da’as that through your tefillos for me and through the ezrah (aid) given by the Ruach Moshiach, this will turn out for my Yeshu’ah (rescue, salvation 1:28; 2:12) [Ro 8:28].

It is my confident tikvah that in nothing I will be put to bushah (shame), but with all ometz lev (courage, boldness YEHOSHUA 1:7) as always, even now, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach will be magnified in my basar (1:13), whether through Chayyim (Life) or through Mavet (Death).

For to me to live is Moshiach [Ga 2:20] and to die is revach (gain, profit, hanaa).

But if it means I am to go on living in the basar, this for me is p’ri for Hashem in the work of avodas kodesh ministry. What will I choose? I do not have da’as.

I am kleir (deliberating). I am pulled two drakhim (ways) by a happy dilemma, on the one tzad (side) having the desire to depart and be with Moshiach, for this is much better [2C 5:8].

But on the other tzad (side) to remain in the basar is more necessary for your sake.

And having been convinced of this fact, I have da’as that I blaib (remain, continue unchanged) and will continue with all of you, for your advancement (1:12) and simcha of the [Orthodox Jewish] Emunah [cf. 1:27; 1Ti 3:9; 4:1,6; 5:8; 6:10,21; Yd 3],

With the ultimate aim that by coming to you again your glorying may abound in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.

Only one thing: conduct in practice your torat haEzrakhut (citizenship, see 3:20) worthily of the Besuras HaGeulah of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear concerning you that you are standing like a ma’oz (fortress, bastion) in one ruach, with one neshamah, contending for the Emunah (Yd 3; Pp 4:3) of the Besuras HaGeulah.

And, I might add, not having pachad (fear, terror) in reaction to anything as far as the mitnaggedim (the ones opposing) are concerned, which is a proof to them of their churban (destruction), but of your Yeshu’ah (salvation 1:19; 2:12], and this from Hashem.

For to you it was given on behalf of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, not only to have emunah in him but also on behalf of him to be laden with the burden of Messianic yissurim (sufferings 3:10),

With you having the same struggle, which you saw in me [Ac 16:22] and now hear to be in me [1:13].

Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the elders and deacons:

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

I thank my God with every remembrance of you,

(always, in all my prayers for all you, praying with joy),

because of the fellowship which you have in the Gospel, from the first day until now.

And I am persuaded of this same thing: that He who has begun this good work in you will perfect it until the Day of Jesus Christ;

just as it is right for me to think this way of you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel you all were fellow partakers of grace with me.

For God is my witness how I long after you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

so that you may test those things which are better; that you may be pure and without offense until the Day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness which is by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Brothers, I desire that you understand that the things which are against me have really caused a furthering of the Gospel.

So, as for my bonds in Christ, they are famous throughout all the Praetorium and in all other places;

so much so that many of the brothers in the Lord are emboldened by my bonds and dare speak the Word of God more frankly.

Indeed, some preach Christ out of envy and strife, but some also out of goodwill.

Indeed, the former preaches Christ out of rivalry (and not purely, supposing to add more affliction to my bonds),

but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel.

What then? Christ is still preached in all manner of ways, whether under a pretense or sincerely. And I rejoice in that! Indeed, and I will rejoice!

For I know that this shall cause my deliverance (through your prayer and by the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ)

as I fervently expect and hope that in nothing shall I be ashamed. But that with all confidence (as always) so now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For, to me, Christ is life and death is gain.

But if living in the flesh brings fruit from my labor, what shall I choose? I do not know!

For I am caught between both desiring to be released and to be with Christ (which is best of all).

Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

And of this I am sure: that I shall stay and continue with you all for the progress and joy of your faith,

so that by my coming to you again your boasting in Jesus Christ may abound through me.

Only conduct yourselves as it becomes the Gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your matters that you continue in one spirit and in one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel.

And be frightened in nothing by your adversaries (which is to them a proof of destruction - but to you of salvation - and this from God!).

For to you it is given concerning Christ that not only should you believe in Him, but also to suffer concerning Him,

having the same fight which you saw in me and now hear of in me.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ;

and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

engaged in the same conflict which you saw and now hear to be mine.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

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

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ;

and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel;

the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

engaged in the same conflict which you saw and now hear to be mine.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Messiah Yeshua, To all the kedoshim in Messiah Yeshua who are in Philippi with the overseers and servant-leaders:

Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

I thank my God at every memory of you,

always praying with joy in every prayer of mine for you all,

because of your sharing in the Good News from the first day until now.

I am sure of this very thing—that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the Day of Messiah Yeshua.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart—for you all are partakers of grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Messiah Yeshua.

Now this I pray, that your love might overflow still more and more in knowledge and depth of discernment,

in order to approve what is excellent—so that in the Day of Messiah you may be sincere and blameless,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Yeshua the Messiah, to the glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the Good News.

And so my imprisonment in the cause of Messiah has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to everyone else.

Because of my imprisonment, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord to dare more than ever to speak the message fearlessly.

Some are proclaiming the Messiah out of envy and strife, but others out of good will.

The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

The former proclaim Messiah not sincerely, but out of selfishness—expecting to stir up trouble for me in my imprisonment.

But what does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in dishonesty or in truth, Messiah is being proclaimed—and in this I rejoice! Yes, and I will keep rejoicing,

for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance, through your intercession and the help of the Ruach of Messiah Yeshua.

My eager expectation and hope is that in no way will I be put to shame, but that with complete boldness Messiah will even now, as always, be exalted in my body—whether through life or through death.

For to me, to live is Messiah and to die is gain.

But if to live on in the body means fruit from my work, what shall I choose? I do not know.

I am torn between the two—having a desire to leave and be with Messiah, which is far better;

yet for your sake, to remain in the body is more necessary.

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith—

so that your confidence in Messiah Yeshua might overflow because of me through my coming to you again.

Only live your lives in a manner worthy of the Good News of the Messiah. Then, whether I come and see you or I am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit—striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the Good News

and not being frightened in any way by your opponents. For them this is a sign of destruction, but for you salvation—and that from God.

For to you was granted for Messiah’s sake not only to trust in Him, but also to suffer for His sake—

experiencing the same struggle you saw in me and now you are hearing in me.

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus the Anointed One, greet you, our friends in Philippi—those set apart by Jesus the Anointed—and we greet the elders and deacons who serve with you.

Grace and peace be with you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed.

Whenever you cross my mind, I thank my God for you and for the gift of knowing you.

My spirit is lightened with joy whenever I pray for you (and I do constantly)

because you have partnered with me to spread the gospel since the first day I preached to you.

I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world.

It is only right that I should feel such admiration for you all—you hold me close to your hearts. And, since we are partners in this great work of grace, you have never failed to stand with me as I have defended and stood firm for the gospel—even from this prison cell.

Before God I want you to know how much I long to see you and love you with the affection of the Anointed One, Jesus.

Here’s what I pray for you: Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight—

so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Anointed One, the day of His judgment, let them stand pure and blameless,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that ripens through Jesus the Anointed. All this I pray, with a view to God’s ultimate praise and glory.

I have good news, brothers and sisters; and I want to share it. Believe it or not, my imprisonment has actually helped spread the good news to new places and populations.

Word has spread through the ranks of the imperial guard and to everyone else around me that I am in prison because of my faith in the Anointed One.

My imprisonment has instilled courage in most of our brothers and sisters, so they are trusting God more and have been even more daring as they speak the good news without fear.

I am well aware that some people out there are preaching the message of the Anointed One because of jealousies and rivalries. Their motives aren’t pure. They’re driven by selfish ambitions and personal agendas, hoping somehow to add to my pain here in prison. And I also know there are others who are preaching the Anointed from true goodness, motivated by love. They wish me the best because they know I’m here in prison in defense of the gospel.

So what do we do then? Listen. What matters is that in every way, regardless of the motives—whether pure or shady—the great story of the Anointed is a cause for joy. I will continue to rejoice

because I know that through your encouragement and prayers and through the help of the Spirit of Jesus the Anointed, I will soon be released from this dark place.

I don’t expect that dishonor and shame will plague me in any way, but I do hope that I will continue to be able to speak freely and courageously about Jesus, and that now and forever the Anointed One will be glorified and placed above all else through this body of mine—whether I live or die.

For my life is about the Anointed and Him alone. And my death, when that comes, will mean great gain for me.

So, if it’s His will that I go on serving here, my work will be fruitful for the message. I honestly wouldn’t know how or what to choose;

I would be hard-pressed to decide. I lean toward leaving this world to be with the Anointed One because I can only think that would be much better.

To stay in this body of flesh—even with all its pains and weaknesses—would best serve your needs.

Now that I think of it, I am sure of this: I would prefer to remain to share in the progress and joy of your growing belief.

When I return to you, we will celebrate Jesus the Anointed even more.

So here is what I want you to do: conduct yourselves as true and worthy citizens of the Anointed’s gospel, so that whether I make it or don’t make it to see you, I will at least hear that you continue to stand, united in one spirit, single-minded in purpose as you struggle together for the faith in the gospel.

Don’t be paralyzed in any way by what your opponents are doing. Your steadfast faith in the face of opposition is a sign that they are doomed and that you have been graced with God’s salvation.

And now, you have been given the privilege of not only believing in Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, but being chosen to suffer for Him as well.

You have seen me suffer for Him. Since I’ve been away, you’ve heard of the other agonizing conflicts I’ve had to face. Now you know firsthand the pains of this battle.

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

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

I thank my God whenever I remember you,

always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy,

for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;

being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.

For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ,

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

Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News,

so that it became evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ,

and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

The former insincerely preach Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;

but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.

For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose.

But I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.

Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,

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

We, Paul and Timothy, are servants of Christ Jesus. We send greetings to all of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus and who live in the city of Philippi. We send greetings to the leaders of the church people and those who have been chosen to help them.

May the loving kindness of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

Every time I think of you I thank God for you.

I have joy in my heart every time I ask God to help you.

I thank God for the joy we share in telling the good news from the very first day until now.

God began to do a good work in you. And I am sure that he will keep on doing it until he has finished it. He will keep on until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

I have a right to feel this way about you all because I love you very much. God is good to me and you all share in this goodness. You share in my troubles in prison. You share in my work of staying true to the good news of Jesus.

I love you all as Jesus Christ loves you. God knows that what I say is true.

When I talk to God I ask that you may have more and more love. I ask him that you will also know and understand, so that you will be able to see what things are right. I want you to be clean with nothing wrong in you when Jesus Christ comes back.

I want you to be doing right by the help of Jesus Christ. That will make people praise God and will show how great he is.

My brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has made more people know about the good news.

All the soldiers here and all the other people know that I am in prison because of Christ.

Because I am in prison, most of my Christian brothers are stronger for the Lord. They are strong in the faith now and they are not afraid to tell God's good news about Jesus Christ.

Some of them tell about Christ because they are jealous. They want to prove they are better than me. Some of them tell about Christ because they want to help me.

The first ones do it because they want to prove they are better than I am. They do not have a good reason. But they think they will make trouble for me while I am in prison.

These last ones do it because they love me. They know that I am here to speak for the good news.

But it does not matter. Every way, in the wrong way or in the right way, Christ is talked about. I will be glad because of that.

Yes, I will keep on being glad about it. I know that you will talk to God about me, and I know that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will help me. So I know that things will work out for me to be free.

I look forward to this very much and hope that I will not be ashamed at all. But I want to be very strong. I want to bring honour to Christ now as I always have. I can do this if I live or die.

All I live for is Christ, and to die would give me more blessing.

If I keep on living, then I will keep on doing my good work. I really do not know which I want more, to live or to die.

I am caught between these two. I want to die and go to be with Christ, which would be very much better.

But you need me more to stay here.

Because I am sure of this, I know that I will stay on and be here with you all. That will help you to be better Christians and happy ones.

Then you will be even more happy about what Christ Jesus has done for me because I have come back to you.

So whatever happens, live as people who believe the good news of Christ should live. Then, if I come and see you, or if I am away and hear about you, you will be standing strong together in one spirit. With one mind you will be working hard together for the good news.

Do not fear in any way those who are working against you. It is God who shows them they are lost and you are saved.

God has given you a special gift. You can not only believe in Christ but also suffer for him.

You have the same trouble which you saw me have. And you hear now that I still have it.

Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the holy men in Christ Jesus, that be at Philippi, with bishops and deacons,

grace and peace to you of God our Father [grace to you and peace of God our Father], and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I do thankings to my God in all mind of you

evermore in all my prayers for all you with joy, and make beseeching

on your communing in the gospel of Christ, from the first day till now [from the first day unto now];

trusting this same thing, that he that began in you a good work, shall perform it till into the day of Jesus Christ.

As it is just to me to feel this thing for all you [for you all], for that I have you in heart, and in my bonds, and in defending and confirming of the gospel, that all ye be fellows of my joy.

For God is a witness to me, how I covet all you [how I covet you all] in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this thing I pray, that your charity be plenteous more and more in knowing [that your charity be plenteous more and more in science, or knowing], and in all wit;

that ye approve the better things [that ye prove the better things], that ye be clean and without offence in the day of Christ;

filled [full-filled] with the fruit of rightwiseness by Jesus Christ, into the glory and praising of God.

For, brethren, I will that ye know, that the things that be about me have come more to the profit of the gospel,

so that my bonds were made known in Christ, in each moot hall, and in all other places;

that more of [the] brethren trusting in the Lord more plenteously for my bonds, durst without dread speak the word of God. [that more of the brethren in the Lord trusting in my bonds, more plenteously durst without dread speak the word of God.]

But some for envy and strife, some for good will, preach Christ;

and some of charity, witting that I am put in the defence of the gospel.

But some of strife [Forsooth some of contention, or strife,] show Christ not cleanly, guessing them(selves) to raise tribulation to my bonds.

But what? while on all manner, either by occasion, either by truth, Christ is showed [What soothly? the while on all manner, either by contention, either by truth, Christ is showed]; and in this thing I have joy, but also I shall have joy.

And I know, that this thing shall come to me into health by your prayer, and the under-ministering of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

by mine abiding and hope [after mine abiding and hope]. For in nothing I shall be ashamed, but in all trust as evermore and now, Christ shall be magnified in my body, either by life, either by death.

For [to] me to live is Christ, and to die is winning.

That if to live in flesh, [this] is fruit of work to me, lo! what I shall choose, I know not. [That if to live in flesh, this is fruit of work to me, and what I shall choose, I know not.]

But I am constrained of two things, I have desire to be departed [Forsooth I am constrained of two things, having desire to be dissolved, or departed the soul from the body], and to be with Christ, it is much more better;

but to dwell in flesh, is needful for you.

And I trusting this thing, know that I shall dwell, and perfectly dwell to all you, to your profit and joy of faith,

that your thanking abound in Christ Jesus in me, by my coming again to you.

Only live ye worthily to the gospel of Christ, that whether when I come and see you, either absent I hear of you [or absent I shall hear of you], that ye stand in one spirit of one will, travailing together to the faith of the gospel.

And in nothing be ye afeared of adversaries, which is to them cause of perdition, but to you a cause of health. And this thing is of God.

For it is given to you for Christ, that not only ye believe in him, but also that ye suffer for him;

having the same strife, which ye saw in me, and now ye have heard of me.

Paul and Timotheus, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with overseers and ministrants;

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

I give thanks to my God upon all the remembrance of you,

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

for your contribution to the good news from the first day till now,

having been confident of this very thing, that He who did begin in you a good work, will perform [it] till a day of Jesus Christ,

according as it is righteous for me to think this in behalf of you all, because of my having you in the heart, both in my bonds, and [in] the defence and confirmation of the good news, all of you being fellow-partakers with me of grace.

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

and this I pray, that your love yet more and more may abound in full knowledge, and all judgment,

for your proving the things that differ, that ye may be pure and offenceless -- to a day of Christ,

being filled with the fruit of righteousness, that [is] through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

And I wish you to know, brethren, that the things concerning me, rather to an advancement of the good news have come,

so that my bonds have become manifest in Christ in the whole praetorium, and to the other places -- all,

and the greater part of the brethren in the Lord, having confidence by my bonds, are more abundantly bold -- fearlessly to speak the word.

Certain, indeed, even through envy and contention, and certain also through good-will, do preach the Christ;

the one, indeed, of rivalry the Christ do proclaim, not purely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds,

and the other out of love, having known that for defence of the good news I am set:

what then? in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed -- and in this I rejoice, yea, and shall rejoice.

For I have known that this shall fall out to me for salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, and in all freedom, as always, also now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death,

for to me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain.

And if to live in the flesh [is] to me a fruit of work, then what shall I choose? I know not;

for I am pressed by the two, having the desire to depart, and to be with Christ, for it is far better,

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

and of this being persuaded, I have known that I shall remain and continue with you all, to your advancement and joy of the faith,

that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence again to you.

Only worthily of the good news of the Christ conduct ye yourselves, that, whether having come and seen you, whether being absent I may hear of the things concerning you, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul, striving together for the faith of the good news,

and not terrified in anything by those opposing, which to them indeed is a token of destruction, and to you of salvation, and that from God;

because to you it was granted, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also on behalf of him to suffer;

the same conflict having, such as ye saw in me, and now hear of in me.