Philippians 2
1 If then I can appeal to you as the followers of Christ, if there is any persuasive power in love and any common sharing of the Spirit, or if you have any tender-heartedness and compassion, make my joy complete by being of one mind,
If there be, therefore, any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tender affections and compassions,
2 united by mutual love, with harmony of feeling giving your minds to one and the same object.
Fill ye up my joy—that, the same thing, ye esteem, the same love, possessing, joined in soul, the one thing, esteeming, —
3 Do nothing in a spirit of factiousness or of vainglory, but, with true humility, let every one regard the rest as being of more account than himself;
Nothing by way of faction, nothing by way of vain-glory, —but, in lowliness of mind, accounting, one another, superior to yourselves, —
4 each fixing his attention, not simply on his own interests, but on those of others also.
Not, to your own things, severally looking, but, to the things of others, severally: —
5 Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus.
The same thing, esteem, in yourselves, which also, in Christ Jesus, [ye esteem], —
6 Although from the beginning He had the nature of God He did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped.
Who, in form of God, subsisting, not, a thing to be seized, accounted the being equal with God,
7 Nay, He stripped Himself of His glory, and took on Him the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.
But, himself, emptied, taking, a servant’s form, coming to be, in men’s likeness;
8 And being recognized as truly human, He humbled Himself and even stooped to die; yes, to die on a cross.
And, in fashion, being found, as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient as far as death, yea, death upon a cross.
9 It is in consequence of this that God has also so highly exalted Him, and has conferred on Him the Name which is supreme above every other,
Wherefore also, God, uplifted him far on high, and favoured him with the name which is above every name, —
10 in order that in the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, of beings in Heaven, of those on the earth, and of those in the underworld,
In order that, in the name of Jesus, every knee might bow—of beings in heaven, and on earth, and underground, —
11 and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.
And, every tongue, might openly confess—that Jesus Christ is, Lord, unto the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dearly-loved friends, as I have always found you obedient, labour earnestly with fear and trembling--not merely as though I were present with you, but much more now since I am absent from you--labour earnestly, I say, to make sure of your own salvation.
So, then, my beloved—even as ye have always obeyed, not [as] in my presence only, but, now, much more, in my absence, with fear and trembling, your own salvation, be working out;
13 For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.
For it is, God, who energiseth within you, both the desiring and the energising, in behalf of his good pleasure.
14 Be ever on your guard against a grudging and contentious spirit,
All things, be doing, apart from murmurings and disputings;
15 so that you may always prove yourselves to be blameless and spotless--irreproachable children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as heavenly lights in the world,
In order that ye may become faultless and inviolate, children of God, blameless amidst a crooked and perverted generation, amongst whom ye appear as luminaries in the world,
16 holding out to them a Message of Life. It will then be my glory on the day of Christ that I did not run my race in vain nor toil in vain.
A word of light, holding forth, —as a matter of boasting unto me, for the day of Christ, —that, not in vain, I ran, nor, in vain, I toiled: —
17 Nay, even if my life is to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I rejoice, and I congratulate you all.
Nay! if I am even to be poured out as a drink-offering, upon the sacrifice and public ministry of your faith, I rejoice, yea rejoice together with you all, —
18 And I bid you also share my gladness, and congratulate me.
For the same cause, moreover, do, ye also, rejoice, yea rejoice together with me.
19 But, if the Lord permits it, I hope before long to send Timothy to you, that I, in turn, may be cheered by getting news of you.
I am hoping, however, in the Lord Jesus—Timothy, shortly, to send unto you, in order that, I also, may be of cheerful soul, when I have ascertained the things that concern you.
20 For I have no one likeminded with him, who will cherish a genuine care for you.
For, no one, have I, of equal soul, who, genuinely, as to the things that concern you, will be anxious;
21 Everybody concerns himself about his own interests, not about those of Jesus Christ.
For, they all, their own things, do seek, not the things of Christ Jesus;
22 But you know Timothy's approved worth--how, like a child working with his father, he has served with me in furtherance of the Good News.
But, of the proof of him, be taking note, —that, as child, with father, with me, hath he done service for the glad-message;
23 So it is he that I hope to send as soon as ever I see how things go with me;
Him, indeed, therefore, am I hoping to send—as soon as I can look off from the things that concern myself, —forthwith.
24 but trusting, as I do, in the Lord, I believe that I shall myself also come to you before long.
I am assured, however, in the Lord, —that I, myself, shall shortly come.
25 Yet I deem it important to send Epaphroditus to you now--he is my brother and comrade both in labour and in arms, and is your messenger who has ministered to my needs.
Needful, nevertheless have I accounted it—Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your apostle and public minister to my need, to send unto you;
26 I send him because he is longing to see you all and is distressed at your having heard of his illness.
Since he hath been longing to see, you all, and hath been in great distress, because ye had heard he was sick; —
27 For it is true that he has been ill, and was apparently at the point of death; but God had pity on him, and not only on him, but also on me, to save me from having sorrow upon sorrow.
And, in fact, he was sick, nigh unto death; but, God, had mercy on him, —and, not on him only, but, on me also, lest, sorrow upon sorrow, I should have.
28 I am therefore all the more eager to send him, in the hope that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have the less sorrow.
The more promptly, therefore, have I sent him, that, seeing him again, ye may rejoice, and, I, the less sorrowful, may be.
29 Receive him therefore with heartfelt Christian joy, and hold in honour men like him;
Be giving him welcome, therefore, in the Lord, with all joy; and, such as he, in honour, be holding, —
30 because it was for the sake of Christ's work that he came so near death, hazarding, as he did, his very life in endeavouring to make good any deficiency that there might be in your gifts to me.
Because, for the sake of the work of the Lord, unto death, he drew nigh, running hazard with his life, that he might fill up your lack of the public service, towards me.
