< Philippians 1 >

1 Paul and Timothy, bondmen of Jesus Christ, to all the sanctified in Jesus Christ who are at Philippi, with the guardians and helpers:
[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.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
[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.
3 I thank my God upon every memory of you,
I thank my God whenever I think about you.
4 always in my every entreaty for all of you, making the entreaty with joy
Every time [DOU] I pray [for you], I joyfully pray [DOU] for all of you.
5 for your participation in the good news from the first day until now.
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 Being confident of this same thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
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 Just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the good news, you all being partners with me of the grace.
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 For God is my witness, how I long for you all in bowels of Jesus Christ.
God [can] verify that Christ Jesus causes me to [love and] long for all of you very much, [just like] Christ loves [you].
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment
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 for you to examine the things that are significant. So that ye may be tested by sunlight and not stumbling toward the day of Christ,
[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],
11 having been filled with fruits of righteousness, through Jesus Christ, for glory and praise of God.
[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 But I want you to know, brothers, that the things in respect to me have come more for the advancement of the good news,
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 in order for my bonds in Christ to become apparent in the whole Praetorium, and in all the others.
[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 And more of the brothers in the Lord have been convinced by my bonds to be much more bold to speak the word fearlessly.
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 Actually some even preach the Christ because of envy and strife, and some also because of good-will.
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].
16 Some indeed proclaim the Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to bring affliction to my bonds.
17 But some from love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the good news.
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 What then? Except in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice, but also I will rejoice.
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 For I know that this will turn out to me for salvation (through your entreaty, and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ)
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 according to my eager expectation and hope that I will be shamed in nothing. But with all boldness, now as always, Christ will also be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.
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.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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 But if to live in flesh, this is fruit of labor to me, then what I will choose I know not.
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 And I am constrained by the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, being far better.
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].
24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary because of you.
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 And having been convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and will continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.
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 So that your pride may abound in Christ Jesus in me because of my presence with you again.
[That is], you will be able to rejoice very greatly because of Christ Jesus [bringing] me [to be with you again].
27 Only be citizens worthy of the good news of the Christ, so that, whether having come and having seen you or being absent, I may hear things about you that ye stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the good news.
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 And not being frightened in anything by those who oppose, which is indeed a sign of destruction to them, but to you of salvation, and this from God.
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 Because to you it was granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,
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 having the same conflict such as ye saw in me, and now hear is in me.
[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.

< Philippians 1 >