PHILIPPIANS
Philippians
Chapter 1
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¶ Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus
that are at
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Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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¶ I thank God whenever I think of you,
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Always in every prayer of mine on your behalf, praying with joy,
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Because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
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Being confident of this, that he who has begun a good work in you will continue
it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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¶ It is only right for me to feel this way about all of you. Both in my
imprisonment, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all in
my heart as joint-partakers of God’s grace.
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For God can testify, that I long for you all with the affection of Jesus
Christ.
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¶ And this is my prayer, that your love may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and in all discernment;
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So that you will be able to affirm what is excellent; and may be sincere and blameless
until the day of Christ;
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Being filled with the fruit of righteousness, that comes through Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God.
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¶ Now I want you to understand, brethren, that the things that happened
to me have actually served to spread the gospel;
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So that the entire palace guard along with the others know that I have been
imprisoned for the cause of Christ;
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And many of our brethren in the Lord, having gained confidence through my
imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
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It is true that some preach Christ because of envy and rivalry; and others out
of good will:
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The latter preach Christ out of love, knowing that I am put here for the
defense of the gospel:
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But the former do so out of selfish ambition, rather than a right motive,
supposing to add affliction to my bonds.
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What of it? The important thing is that, in every way, whether from false
motives or true, Christ is preached; and because of that I rejoice, yes, and
will continue to rejoice.
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Because I know that this will lead to my deliverance through your prayers, and
the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
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According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that I will not be put
to shame in anything, but with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be
exalted in my body, whether by my life, or by my death.
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¶ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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However if I continue living in the body, it will mean
fruitful labor for me: so I do not know which to prefer.
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For I am torn between the two, I desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which
is far better:
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Yet it is more important for you that I remain in the body.
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Being confident of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you
for your advancement and joy in the faith;
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So that when I come to you again your confidence and rejoicing in Christ
Jesus will be even greater because of me.
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¶ Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ: so that
whether I come and see you, or remain absent, I may hear that you stand firm in
one spirit, working together with one mind for the faith of the gospel;
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Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you: for them this fearlessness
is a testimony that they are lost, but for you evidence of salvation, and that
by God.
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Seeing that it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should
not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake;
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Since you are facing the same opposition that you saw me face, and now hear
that I still have.