Philipper 3

1 Nun, meine Brüder, freut euch in dem Herrn! Frühere Warnungen zu wiederholen, ist mir keine Last, euch aber eine Stärkung:

[Now there are] other things [that I want to write about]. My fellow believers, continue to rejoice because [you belong to] the Lord. [Though] I will [now] write to you about those same matters [that I mentioned to you before, this is] not tiresome for me, and it will protect you [from those who would harm you spiritually].

2 Hütet euch vor den Hunden, hütet euch vor den verderblichen Arbeitern, hütet euch vor den Zerschnittenen!

Beware of those [people who are dangerous] [MET] [like wild] dogs. They are [dangerous] evildoers [DOU]. Beware of them [since they are like people who] cut [other people’s] bodies [MET]. [They will harm you spiritually by insisting that you must let someone circumcise you in order for you to become God’s people] [MTY, MET].

3 Wir sind die wahrhaft Beschnittenen: wir dienen Gott im Geist, wir suchen unseren Ruhm in Christus Jesus und bauen nicht auf äußere Vorzüge.

[Those people think that they are God’s people because someone has circumcised them]. But we, [not they], are [truly God’s people] [MET], [whether or not someone has] circumcised [us]. God’s Spirit [enables us to] [MTY] worship [God]; we praise Christ Jesus [because he has enabled us to become the people of God]. We do not believe [that God will consider/make us his people as a result of what someone has done to our] bodies [MTY, SYN].

4 Und doch hätte ich allen Grund dazu. Denkt ein anderer, er könne auf äußere Vorzüge bauen, dann ich erst recht!

[We do not trust in those rituals to make us acceptable to God], although I could very well do that [if it would be useful for me]. Philippians 3:4b-6 [In fact], [if I could benefit from it for my salvation], I could rely upon what I have done and who I am [MTY, SYN] more than anyone else could! I will tell you why.

5 Ich bin am achten Tag beschnitten worden, ich gehöre zu dem Volk Israel, zu dem Stamm Benjamin, ich bin ein Hebräer von rein hebräischer Herkunft. Dazu war ich ein gesetzesstrenger Pharisäer,

I [was circumcised] {[Someone] circumcised me} when I was one week old. I am from the people of Israel. I am from the tribe of Benjamin. I am completely Hebrew in every way. [While I was] a member of the Pharisee [sect], I [strictly obeyed] the laws [that God gave Moses].

6 ein eifriger Verfolger der Kirche und ohne Tadel in der Gerechtigkeit, die im Gesetz gefordert wird.

I was [so] zealous [to make people obey those laws that] I caused the people who believe in Christ to suffer [because I thought they were trying to abolish those laws. Indeed], as far as my obeying those laws is concerned, no [one could] have accused [me by] saying that I had disobeyed any of those laws.

7 Doch alles, was mir Vorteil brachte, habe ich um Christi willen als Nachteil angesehen.

Nevertheless, all such things as those, which I used to [consider to] be useful to me, those [very] things I now consider worthless, because I [want to know] Christ (OR, in order that I [may know] Christ).

8 Wahrlich, auch jetzt noch sehe ich alles andere als Nachteil an im Vergleich mit dem alles überragenden Wert der Erkenntnis Christi Jesu, meines Herrn, um dessentwillen ich alles aufgegeben habe. Ja ich sehe alles andere als Abschaum an, wenn ich nur Christus gewinne

More than that, I consider all things to be worthless, compared to how great it is to know Christ Jesus my Lord. Because I [want to know] him [better] (OR, In order that I [may know] him [better]), I have rejected all things as worthless. I consider them [as useless as] [MET] rubbish, in order that I may have [a close relationship with] Christ [MET],

9 und in ihm erfunden werde. Denn ich will nicht selbsterworbene Gerechtigkeit besitzen, die aus Gesetzeswerken kommt, sondern die Gerechtigkeit durch Christi Glauben, die Gerechtigkeit, die Gott auf Grund des Glaubens schenkt.

and in order that I may completely belong to him. It was not as a result of [my obeying] the laws [he gave Moses] that God erased the record of my sins. Instead, it is because I have trusted in Christ [that God] has declared that I am no longer guilty for my sins, and he enables me to act righteously. [It is] God [himself who] has erased the record of my sins, and he enables me to act righteously, [only] because I have trusted [in Christ].

10 Dann kann ich ihn recht kennenlernen, indem ich erfahre, welche Kraft von seiner Auferstehung ausgeht. Dadurch werde ich auch fähig, an seinen Leiden teilzunehmen und ihm im Tod ähnlich zu werden.

I [want] to know Christ [better and better]. Particularly, I [want] to continually experience [his working] powerfully in my life, [just like God worked powerfully when he] caused Christ to become alive after he died. I [also want to be continually willing] to suffer [in order that I may obey God], just like Christ suffered [in order that he might obey God. I also want] to be completely willing to die for [Christ], even as he died for me,

11 So darf ich dann auch hoffen, jene Auferstehung zu erreichen, zu der nur eine Auswahl aus den Toten gelangen soll.

[because I expect that, as a result of God’s goodness], he will cause me to live again after I have died.

12 Ich bilde mir nicht ein, ich hätte (den Siegespreis) erlangt, oder mit anderen Worten: ich wäre schon am Ziel. Wohl aber laufe ich (nach dem Preis) und hoffe auch, ihn zu ergreifen, weil ich ja von Christus Jesus ergriffen worden bin.

I do not claim that I have already become completely like Christ Jesus; that is, I have not already become all that God intends me to be [DOU]. But I earnestly try to become [more and more like Christ], because he chose me [in order that I might become like him].

13 Brüder, ich denke von mir nicht, ich hätte schon (den Preis) ergriffen. Eins aber tue ich: was hinter mir liegt, das vergesse ich; und was vor mir liegt, dem eile ich wie ein Wettläufer mit vorgebeugtem Haupt zu.

My fellow believers, I certainly do not consider that I have already become completely like Christ. But I [am like a runner. A runner does not look backward] [MET]. Instead, he leans/stretches forward as he runs straight toward the goal [in order that he might win the race and get the prize. Similarly], I do not think about what I have already done.

14 So jage ich dem Ziel entgegen, um jenen Kampfpreis zu erlangen, den Gott mir in der Gemeinschaft Christi Jesu droben in Aussicht stellt.

Instead, I concentrate only on [continuing to become more and more like Christ right up to the end of my life] [MET]. As a result, because of my relationship with Christ Jesus, God will call/summon me to receive a reward from him [in heaven].

15 Wir alle nun, die geistlich reif sind, wollen hierauf bedacht sein. Dann wird euch Gott auch, wenn ihr in einem Punkt irrig denkt, darin die volle Wahrheit offenbaren.

So, all of us who are [spiritually] mature should think this [same way]. If any [of you] do not think this same way regarding what I [have written here], God will reveal that to you.

16 Nur laßt uns auf der Bahn, zu der wir alle gleichmäßig gelangt sind, in fester Ordnung vorwärtsschreiten!

What is important is that we must conduct our lives according to what [God has already revealed to] us.

17 Ja, folgt meinem Beispiel, Brüder, und seht auf alle, die so wandeln, wie ihr uns zum Vorbild habt!

My fellow believers, [all of] you should follow my example, and observe those people who act as I do, [in order that you may imitate them also].

18 Denn in großer Anzahl ziehen jene Leute umher, die ich euch schon oft geschildert habe, und von denen ich jetzt sogar mit Tränen rede: ich meine die bekannten Feinde des Kreuzes Christi.

[Keep in mind that] there are many people [who say that they believe in Christ, but] who act [in such a way that shows] that they are opposed to [the teaching about] Christ [dying on] the cross [MTY]. I have told you about those people many times [before], and now I am sad, even crying, as I tell you [about them again].

19 Ihr Engel ist Verderben, ihr Herrgott ist der Bauch, ihre Ehre suchen sie an ihrer Blöße, ihr ganzes Trachten geht aufs Irdische.

[God] will severely punish them. The things their bodies desire [MTY] have become [like] gods to them [MET]. They are proud of the things they should be ashamed of. They think only about what unbelievers [MTY] think about.

20 Darum warten wir auch sehnsuchtsvoll, daß der Herr Jesus Christus als Erretter komme.

[But remember] that we are citizens of heaven. And we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [to return] from there.

21 Der wird den Leib, den wir jetzt in unserer Erniedrigung tragen, so umwandeln, daß er gleichgestaltet wird dem Leib seiner Herrlichkeit. Dazu hat er die Macht, denn er kann sich alle Dinge unterwerfen.

By the power that enables him to put everything under his own control, he will change our weak bodies to become like his glorious body.