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:

[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 and peace to you 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 every time I remember you.

I thank my God whenever I think about you.

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

Every time [DOU] I pray [for you], I joyfully pray [DOU] for all of you.

5 because of your partnership in the gospel 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, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion 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 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.

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 God is my witness how I long for all of 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 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

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 so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for 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 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through 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 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance 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 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

[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 brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly 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 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

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

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

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 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,

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you 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 through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me.

[That is], you will be able to rejoice very greatly because of Christ Jesus [bringing] me [to be with you again].

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,

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 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 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 it has been granted to you 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 since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

[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.