Copyright (c) Timothy E. Clontz 1999 All rights reserved.

The Letter of Paul to the Philippians

1
  1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always making my prayer with joy in every prayer of mine for you all, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
  12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment for Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear.
  15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed in anything, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I do not know. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
  27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 in no way frightened by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction to them, but of salvation for you - and that too, from God. 29 For to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

2
  1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
  19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news of you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know that he has proved his worth, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
  25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26 for he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may have less anxiety. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy; and honor men like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

3
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
  2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those mutilators of the body. 3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I myself have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever was gain to me, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count everything to be loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith, 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
  12 Not that I have already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
  17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who live according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

4
1 Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
  2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, true yoke-fellow, to help these women who have struggled at my side in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
  10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to be in need, and I also know how to have plenty; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and want. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
  15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that in the first preaching of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent me a gift once and again for my needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
  21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.