< Philippians 1 >
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
[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 be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from 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 on every remembrance of you―
I thank my God whenever I think about you.
4 always in every supplication of mine for you all, making my supplication with joy―
Every time [DOU] I pray [for you], I joyfully pray [DOU] for all of you.
5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day till 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 very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you, will carry it on till the day of Jesus Christ;
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 as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I say I have you in my heart; both in my bonds and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, I say I have you all in my heart as being joint partakers of my 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 ardently I love you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
God [can] verify that Christ Jesus causes me to [love and] long for all of you very much, [just like] Christ loves [you].
9 I also pray for this, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all understanding,
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 in order that you may distinguish things that differ, to the end that you may be pure and blameless till 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 being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which fruit is by Jesus Christ, to the 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 wish you to know, brethren, that the things which have befallen me have turned out rather to the advancement of the gospel;
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 so that my bonds which are for Christ have become known to be such in all the palace, and in all other places;
[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 most of the brethren in the Lord, having confidence in my bonds, are more bold to speak the word without fear.
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 Some, indeed, preach the Christ, because of envy and a contentious disposition, and some 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 These do it from love, because they know that I am set for the defense of the gospel;
17 those preach Christ from a contentious disposition, not sincerely, thinking that they will add affliction to my bonds.
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 difference does this make? Christ is, nevertheless, preached in every way, whether in pretense or in truth; and in this I rejoice, yes, and 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 result in my benefit through your supplication, and the supply 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 earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be ashamed, but with all boldness, as at all times, so even now, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by 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 this, my life in the flesh, would be profitable for my work in the ministry, verily, what I should 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 I am in a strait between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is 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 yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for 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 of this I feel assured, that I shall remain and continue among you all for your advancement 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 that your rejoicing in Christ Jesus may become more abundant through me by my being present among 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 conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Christ, that, whether I come and see you, or be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the gospel,
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 in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that 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 For to you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on 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 since you have the same conflict that you saw in me, and now hear to be 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.