Philippians 2

¹Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

⁸And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross.

⁹Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing,

¹⁵so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

¹⁶as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

¹⁸So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

¹⁹Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I learn how you are doing.

²⁰I have nobody else like him who will genuinely care for your needs.

²¹For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.

²³So I hope to send him as soon as I see what happens with me.

²⁴And I trust in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

²⁵But I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my needs.

²⁶For he has been longing for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.

²⁷He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious.

²⁹Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him,

³⁰because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.

Philippians 2

¹If, then, any exhortation is in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

²fulfil ye my joy, that ye may mind the same thinghaving the same loveof one soulminding the one thing,

³nothing in rivalry or vain-glory, but in humility of mind one another counting more excellent than yourselves

⁴each not to your own look ye, but each also to the things of others.

⁵For, let this mind be in you that is also in Christ Jesus,

⁶who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal to God,

⁷but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made,

⁸and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto deathdeath even of a cross,

⁹wherefore, also, God did highly exalt him, and gave to him a name that is above every name,

¹⁰that in the name of Jesus every knee may bowof heavenlies, and earthlies, and what are under the earth

¹¹and every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So that, my beloved, as ye always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling your own salvation work out,

¹³for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

¹⁴All things do without murmurings and reasonings,

¹⁵that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world,

¹⁶the word of life holding forth, for rejoicing to me in regard to a day of Christ, that not in vain did I run, nor in vain did I labour;

¹⁷but if also I am poured forth upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and joy with you all,

¹⁸because of this do ye also rejoice and joy with me.

¹⁹And I hope, in the Lord Jesus, Timotheus to send quickly to you, that I also may be of good spirit, having known the things concerning you,

²⁰for I have no one like-minded, who sincerely for the things concerning you will care,

²¹for the whole seek their own things, not the things of the Christ Jesus,

²²and the proof of him ye know, that as a child serveth a father, with me he did serve in regard to the good news;

²³him, indeed, therefore, I hope to send, when I may see through the things concerning meimmediately;

²⁴and I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall quickly come.

²⁵And I thought it necessary Epaphroditusmy brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my needto send unto you,

²⁶seeing he was longing after you all, and in heaviness, because ye heard that he ailed,

²⁷for he also ailed nigh to death, but God did deal kindly with him, and not with him only, but also with me, that sorrow upon sorrow I might not have.

²⁸The more eagerly, therefore, I did send him, that having seen him again ye may rejoice, and I may be the less sorrowful;

²⁹receive him, therefore, in the Lord, with all joy, and hold such in honour,

³⁰because on account of the work of the Christ he drew near to death, having hazarded the life that he might fill up your deficiency of service unto me.