< 腓立比書 1 >
1 基督耶穌的僕人保祿和弟茂德,致書給斐理伯的眾位在基督內的聖徒、監督及執事;
[I], Paul, and Timothy, [who is with me, are] men who serve Christ Jesus. I [am writing this letter] to all [of you who are] pastors and deacons in Philippi [city] and to the rest of God’s people [there who have a close relationship] with Christ Jesus.
[We both] (OR, [I]) [pray that] God, [who is] our Father, and Jesus Christ, [who is our] Lord, [will continue to] be kind to you and [will continue to] cause you to have [inner] peace.
I thank my God whenever I think about you.
Every time [DOU] I pray [for you], I joyfully pray [DOU] for all of you.
5 因為你們從最初的一天直到現在,就協助了宣傳福音的工作;
I [thank God and rejoice] because you have been [working] together with me in order to [make known] the good message about Christ. [You started doing that] when you first [MTY] [believed it, and you have continued doing it] until now.
6 我深信,在你們內開始這美好工作的那位,必予以完成,直到耶穌基督的日子。
I am completely confident that [God], who has begun to do in you what is good, (OR, that since [God] has begun to do in you what is good, he) will continue to do that until he finishes doing it on the day Christ Jesus [MTY] [returns].
7 我這樣想念你們眾人,是理當的,因為我在心內常懷念你們,不論我帶鎖鏈,或辯護或確證福音時,你們常參與了我受的恩寵。
During this time that I have been a prisoner [MTY] and during the times I was previously able to defend the good message about Christ and proved/confirmed [to others] that it is true, all of you have been sharing with me (OR, have helped me) in this work [that God] kindly gave [to me to do. So] indeed it is right that I feel joyful about you all, because you are very dear [IDM] to me.
8 天主為我作證:我是怎樣以基督耶穌的情懷愛你們眾人。
God [can] verify that Christ Jesus causes me to [love and] long for all of you very much, [just like] Christ loves [you].
9 我所祈求的是:願你們的愛德日漸增長,渥真知識和各種識見,
And what I pray [for you] is that [God will enable] you to truly know and learn how to love [one another] more and more in every situation.
10 使你們能辨別卓絕之事,為叫你們直到基督的日子,常潔淨無瑕的,
[And I pray that he will enable] you to completely understand [how you should believe and act]. I [pray this] in order that you might be [spiritually] pure and faultless (OR, completely faultless [DOU]) on the day that Christ [returns] [MTY],
[and in order that] you might conduct your lives [IDM] completely righteously as a result of Jesus Christ [enabling you to do so], in order that [people will] honor God and praise him (OR, [people will] praise God very much [DOU]).
12 弟兄們! 我願意告訴你們, 我的環境對於福音的進展反而有了益處,
My fellow believers, I want you to know that the [troubles] I have experienced [have not prevented me from proclaiming the good message to people. Instead], [these things that I have experienced] have enabled even more people to hear the good message [about Christ].
13 以致御營全軍和其餘眾人都明明知道,我帶鎖鏈是為基督的緣故;
[Specifically], all the military guards who are stationed [here in Rome] and many other [HYP] [people in this city] [HYP] now know that I am a prisoner [MTY] because I [proclaim the good news] about Christ.
14 並且大多數的弟兄,因我帶鎖槤,就更依靠主,更敢講論天主的道理,一點也不害怕。
Also, most of the believers [here now] proclaim the message from God more courageously and fearlessly [because] they trust the Lord [more firmly to help them. They trust the Lord more] because [they have seen how the Lord has helped me] while I have been a prisoner [MTY] [here].
15 有些人宣講基督,固然是出於嫉忌和競爭,有些人人卻是出於善意;
Some people proclaim [the message about Christ as I do] because they are happy [with my work]. They proclaim [the message about] Christ because they love [me and because] they know that [God] has placed me [here] to defend the message about Christ [CHI].
17 那些出於私見宣傳基督的人,目的不純正,想要給我的鎖鏈更增添煩惱。
Others proclaim [the message about] Christ because they envy [me] and oppose [me]. They proclaim the message about Christ because they have wrong motives. They [wrongly] assume [that because they are causing many people to follow them, I will be jealous, and as a result], I will feel more miserable while I am a prisoner [MTY] [here].
18 那有什麼妨礙呢﹖無論如何,或是假意,或是誠心,終究是宣傳了基督。為此,如今我喜歡,將來我仍然要喜歡,
But it does not matter whether [people proclaim the message about Christ] because they have wrong motives, or whether [people proclaim the message about Christ] because they have right motives. The important thing in either case is that [the message about] Christ is being proclaimed {people are proclaiming [the message about] Christ}. And because of that I rejoice! Philippians 1:18b-26 Furthermore, I will continue to rejoice,
19 因為我知道,賴你們的祈禱和耶穌基督的聖神的輔助, 這事必有利於我的得救。
because when I experience troubles, I know that some day God will say that he approves [of what I have done] (OR, that [the Roman authorities] will set me free). [This will happen] as a result of your praying for me, and [as a result] of [God’s] Spirit, whom Jesus Christ gave me, helping me.
20 按照我所熱切期待希望的,我在任何事上必不會蒙羞所以現在和將來一樣,我反而放心大膽,我或生或死,總要叫基督在我身上受頌揚。
I [know that this will happen] because I very confidently expect [DOU] that I will faithfully honor Christ. I expect that like I always [have done], Christ will be greatly honored {I will continue now also to very boldly honor Christ} by means of all that I do [SYN, MTY], whether by [the way I] live or [by the way I] die.
As for me, I live [in order to honor] Christ. But if I die, it will be better [for me than if I continue to live, because then I will be with him].
22 如果生活在肉身內,我還能獲得工作的效果:我現在揀選那一樣,我自己也不知道。
On the other hand, if I continue to live, that will enable me to continue to serve [Christ] effectively. As a result, I do not know which to choose.
23 我正夾在兩之間:我渴望求解脫而與基督在一起:這實在是再好沒有了;
That is, I am not sure which of those two I [prefer]. I long to leave [this world] and [go to] be with Christ, because that will be very much better [for me].
Nevertheless, it is more important that I remain alive [than that I go to be with Christ because] you still need [me to help you].
25 我確信不疑:知道我必要存留,且必要為你們眾人存留於世, 為使你們在信德上,得到進展和喜樂,
Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain [alive] and that I will [go/come to] be with you all. [As a result], you will believe [in Christ] more firmly, and [as a result of that], you will rejoice.
26 並使你們因我再來到你們中,同我在基督耶穌內更加歡躍。
[That is], you will be able to rejoice very greatly because of Christ Jesus [bringing] me [to be with you again].
27 你們生活度日只應合乎基督的福音,好叫我或來看望你們,或不在時,聽到關於你們的事,知道你們仍保時同一的精神, 一心一意為福音的信仰共同奮鬥,
Most importantly, as fellow [believers in Christ], conduct yourselves just like [you learned you should do when you heard] the message about Christ. Do that in order that whether I come and see you, or whether [I am away from you and] people tell me about you, [what I hear or see will make me happy]. They will tell me that you are unitedly and cooperatively resisting [those who oppose the message about Christ] (OR, [oppose you]). I [will know] that you are not allowing others to influence you to believe a message that is different from the gospel [about Christ].
28 一點也不為敵人所嚇住:這樣證明了他們必將喪亡,你們必將得救,因為這是出於天主,
And I [will know] that you are not at all frightened by {afraid of} the people who oppose you. This will show/prove to those people that [God] will destroy them, but this will show/prove to you that [God] will save you eternally. It is God who is doing [all] this.
29 因為,為了基督的緣故, 賜給你們的恩賜,不但是為相信祂, 而且也是為祂受苦:
Remember that he has not only kindly enabled you to believe in Christ, [he] has also kindly allowed you to suffer for the sake of Christ.
30 就是要遭受你們曾在我身上所見的,及如今由我所聽到的同樣的決鬥。
[As a result], you are [having to] resist [those who oppose the good message], just like you saw that I [had to] resist [such people there in Philippi], and just like you hear that I [still have to resist such people here] now.