Philippians 1

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

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

³I thank my God every time I remember you.

⁴In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy,

⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

⁶being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me.

⁸God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

¹⁰so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel.

¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

¹⁴And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

¹⁷The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

¹⁸What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

¹⁹because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

²¹For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

²²But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.

²³I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

²⁴But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

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

²⁶so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me.

²⁷Nevertheless, 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 one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

²⁹For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,

³⁰since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Philippians 1

¹Paul and Timotheus, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with overseers and ministrants;

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

³I give thanks to my God upon all the remembrance of you,

⁴always, in every supplication of mine for you all, with joy making the supplication,

⁵for your contribution to the good news from the first day till now,

⁶having 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,

⁷according 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.

⁸For God is my witness, how I long for you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ,

⁹and this I pray, that your love yet more and more may abound in full knowledge, and all judgment,

¹⁰for your proving the things that differ, that ye may be pure and offencelessto a day of Christ,

¹¹being filled with the fruit of righteousness, that is through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹²And I wish you to know, brethren, that the things concerning me, rather to an advancement of the good news have come,

¹³so that my bonds have become manifest in Christ in the whole praetorium, and to the other placesall,

¹⁴and the greater part of the brethren in the Lord, having confidence by my bonds, are more abundantly boldfearlessly to speak the word.

¹⁵Certain, indeed, even through envy and contention, and certain also through good-will, do preach the Christ;

¹⁶the one, indeed, of rivalry the Christ do proclaim, not purely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds,

¹⁷and the other out of love, having known that for defence of the good news I am set:

¹⁸what then? in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimedand in this I rejoice, yea, and shall rejoice.

¹⁹For I have known that this shall fall out to me for salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus,

²⁰according 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,

²¹for to me to live is Christ, and to die gain.

²²And if to live in the flesh is to me a fruit of work, then what shall I choose? I know not;

²³for I am pressed by the two, having the desire to depart, and to be with Christ, for it is far better,

²⁴and to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account,

²⁵and of this being persuaded, I have known that I shall remain and continue with you all, to your advancement and joy of the faith,

²⁶that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence again to you.

²⁷Only 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,

²⁸and 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;

²⁹because to you it was granted, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also on behalf of him to suffer;

³⁰the same conflict having, such as ye saw in me, and now hear of in me.