Philippians 1

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, and to the elders and deacons.

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

Upon every remembrance of you I am ever thanking my God for you all;

4 In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy,

in every petition of mine in your behalf I am offering my prayer with joy for your fellowship in forwarding the gospel,

5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

from the first day you heard it until now.

6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Of this I am fully persuaded, that He who has begun a good work in you will go on completing it until the day of Jesus Christ.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me.

It is but just that I should be thus mindful of you all, because I have you in my heart, and because in these fetters of mine and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel you are all my fellow partners in the privilege.

8 God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

God is my witness how I yearn for you all in the tenderness of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

And it is my prayer that your love may abound yet more and more in intelligence and insight

10 so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

for testing things that differ, so that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

being filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has turned out rather to help than to the hindrance of the gospel.

13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

Throughout the whole Praetorian guard and among all the others it has become plain that these chains of mine are for the sake of Christ;

14 And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

and most of the brothers in the Lord, made confident in the Lord through my imprisonment, are much emboldened to speak God’s message with free and fearless confidence.

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

Some indeed are preaching Christ out of envy and contentiousness, but others from good-will.

16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

but the former preach Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, because they think they are adding bitterness to my bonds.

17 The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

These latter out of their love, because they know that I am set here for the defense of the gospel;

18 What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

What of it? In any case, whether in pretence or in honest truth, Christ is still preached, and in that I am rejoicing, yes, and will rejoice.

19 because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

For I know that these things will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and a rich supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

So it is my keen expectation and hope that I shall never feel ashamed, but that with fearless courage, now as hither to, Christ may be magnified in my body, whether by my life or by my death.

21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

22 But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.

But now, if life in the flesh, if this be the fruit of my toil - what to choose I do not know,

23 I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

but am in a quandary between the two. I am perplexed. I have a strong desire to break camp and to be with Christ, which is far better;

24 But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

but for your sakes it is more necessary that I should still live on in the body.

25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

And because I am convinced of this, I know that I shall live, and go on working side by side with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

26 so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me.

so that you may find me fresh cause of exultation in Christ Jesus, because of my presence among you once more.

27 Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Only do lead lives worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come to see you or hear reports concerning you in my absence, I may know that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul, enlisted in a common struggle for the faith of the gospel,

28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

and in no way terrorized by its enemies. For you fearlessness is a clear indication of coming ruin for them, but of salvation for you at the hands of God.

29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,

For it has been granted you in Christ’s behalf, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,

30 since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

while you wage the same conflict which you once saw in me, and now hear that I maintain.