< Philippians 1 >
1 [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.
Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.
2 [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.
Grace and peace unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God whenever I think about you.
I thank my God for every mention of you,
4 Every time [DOU] I pray [for you], I joyfully pray [DOU] for all of you.
always in all my prayer with joy making supplication,
5 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.
for your fellowship in the gospel from the first clay until now;
6 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].
having confidence as to this same thing, that the one having begun a good work in you will perfect it unto the day of Jesus Christ:
7 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.
as it is righteous for me to think in behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, that you are all my fellow-partakers of the grace.
8 God [can] verify that Christ Jesus causes me to [love and] long for all of you very much, [just like] Christ loves [you].
For God is my witness, how I long after you in the affections of Jesus Christ.
9 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.
And I pray this, that your divine love may yet more and more abound in perfect knowledge and all understanding;
10 [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],
in order that you may distinguish those things which differ; that you may be pure and without offence in the day of Christ;
11 [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]).
being filled with the fruit of righteousness, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
12 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].
But I wish you, brethren, to know that the affairs appertaining to me have turned out rather unto the promotion of the gospel.
13 [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.
So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the pretorian army, and to all the rest;
14 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].
and many of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are bold to speak the word of God more fluently without fear.
15 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].
Some indeed through envy and strife, and some through good will, are preaching Christ:
the latter from divine love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel:
17 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].
the former from self-seeking are proclaiming Christ insincerely, thinking that they will add affliction to my bonds.
18 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,
For what is it? moreover that in every place, whether in pretext or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and I rejoice in this, yes, and I will rejoice.
19 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.
For I know that this will turn out to me unto salvation, through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 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.
according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall be ashamed in nothing, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
21 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].
For Christ is my life, and death is my gain.
22 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.
But if to live in the flesh, this shall be to me the fruit of the work, indeed I know not what I shall ask.
23 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].
But I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ; for this is far better:
24 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].
but to remain in the flesh is safer on account of you.
25 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.
And having confidence in this, I know that I shall abide with you all, unto your promotion and the joy of your faith;
26 [That is], you will be able to rejoice very greatly because of Christ Jesus [bringing] me [to be with you again].
in order that your rejoicing in Christ Jesus may abound in me through my coming again unto you.
27 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].
Only live worthily of the gospel of Christ: in order that, whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I hear those things concerning you, that you are standing in one spirit, with one soul contending for the faith of the gospel;
28 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.
and not being intimidated in anything by the adversaries: which is to them the manifestation of destruction, but of your salvation, and this is from God;
29 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.
because the blessing is conferred on you in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but indeed to suffer for him:
30 [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.
having the same conflict as you saw in me, and now hearing me.