PHILIPPIANS
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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all
the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank
my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of
my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the
first day until now. 6 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. 7 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. 8 For God is my witness, how I
long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my
prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full
insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ
you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. 12 I want you
to know, beloved that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the
gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and
to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; 14 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. 15 Some proclaim Christ
from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 16 These proclaim Christ out of
love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the
others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to
increase my suffering in my imprisonment. 18 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, 19 for I know that
through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn
out for my deliverance. 20 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. 21 For to
me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that
means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard
pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is
far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 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, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your
boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 27 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, 28 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. 29 For he has
graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of
suffering for him as well-- 30 since you are having the same struggle that you
saw I had and now hear that I still have.
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If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation
from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy
complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of
one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard
others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own
interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that
was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking
the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human
form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even
death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name
that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore,
my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much
more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13
for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for
his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15 so that
you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the
world. 16 It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the
day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am
being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your
faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you-- 18 and in the same way you also
must be glad and rejoice with me. 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to
you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. 20 I have no one like him who
will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 All of them are seeking their
own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But Timothy's worth you know, how
like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I
hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and I
trust in the Lord that I will also come soon. 25 Still, I think it necessary to
send to you Epaphroditus--my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier, your
messenger and minister to my need; 26 for he has been longing for all of you,
and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 He was indeed so
ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me
also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. 28 I am the more eager
to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and
that I may be less anxious. 29 Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and
honor such people, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ,
risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.
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Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To
write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a
safeguard. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who
mutilate the flesh! 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the
Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh-- 4
even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has
reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth
day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born
of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church;
as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these
I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard
everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as
rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through
faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know
Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by
becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from
the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the
goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his
own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one
thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies
ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God
in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and
if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16
Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. 17 Brothers and sisters, join in
imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in
us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of
them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god
is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly
things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are
expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our
humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that
also enables him to make all things subject to himself.
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Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. 2 I urge
Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask
you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside
me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my
co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord
is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have
learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with
you. 10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your
concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to
show it. 11 Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be
content with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to have little, and I know
what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the
secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in
need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 In any case, it
was kind of you to share my distress. 15 You Philippians indeed know that in the
early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the
matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16 For even when I was in
Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. 17 Not that I seek
the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. 18 I have been
paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have
received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice
acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will fully satisfy every need of
yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father
be glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The
friends who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those
of the emperor's household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit.
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