1 | Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: |
2 | Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. |
3 | I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, |
4 | Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, |
5 | For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; |
6 | 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: |
7 | 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 defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. |
8 | For God is my witness, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. |
9 | And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; |
10 | That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; |
11 | Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. |
12 | But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel; |
13 | So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; |
14 | And many of the brethren in the Lord, becoming confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. |
15 | Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife; and some also from good will. |
16 | The one preach Christ from contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: |
17 | But the other from love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. |
18 | What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. |
19 | For I know that this will turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, |
20 | According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. |
21 | For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. |
22 | But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I know not. |
23 | For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: |
24 | Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. |
25 | And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; |
26 | That your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. |
27 | Only let your manner of life 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; |
28 | And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. |
29 | For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; |
30 | Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. |