Philippians

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. ↗

²Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. ↗

³I give thanks to my God, with every remembrance of you, ↗

⁴always, in all my prayers, making supplication for all of you with joy, ↗

⁵because of your communion in the Gospel of Christ, from the first day even until now. ↗

⁶I am confident of this very thing: that he who has begun this good work in you will perfect it, unto the day of Christ Jesus. ↗

⁷So then, it is right for me to feel this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, and because, in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, you all are partakers of my joy. ↗

⁸For God is my witness how, within the heart of Jesus Christ, I long for all of you. ↗

⁹And this I pray: that your charity may abound more and more, with knowledge and with all understanding, ↗

¹⁰so that you may be confirmed in what is better, in order that you may be sincere and without offense on the day of Christ: ↗

¹¹filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, in the glory and praise of God. ↗

¹²Now, brothers, I want you to know that the things concerning me happened for the advancement of the Gospel, ↗

¹³in such a way that my chains have become manifest in Christ in every place of judgment and in all other such places. ↗

¹⁴And many from among the brothers in the Lord, becoming confident through my chains, are now much bolder in speaking the Word of God without fear. ↗

¹⁵Certainly, some do so even because of envy and contention; and others, too, do so because of a good will to preach Christ. ↗

¹⁶Some act out of charity, knowing that I have been appointed for the defense of the Gospel. ↗

¹⁷But others, out of contention, announce Christ insincerely, claiming that their difficulties lift them up to my chains. ↗

¹⁸But what does it matter? As long as, by every means, whether under pretext or in truthfulness, Christ is announced. And about this, I rejoice, and moreover, I will continue to rejoice. ↗

¹⁹For I know that this will bring me to salvation, through your prayers and under the ministration of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ↗

²⁰by means of my own expectation and hope. For in nothing shall I be confounded. Instead, with all confidence, now just as always, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. ↗

²¹For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ↗

²²And while I live in the flesh, for me, there is the fruit of works. But I do not know which I would choose. ↗

²³For I am constrained between the two: having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, which is the far better thing, ↗

²⁴but then to remain in the flesh is necessary for your sake. ↗

²⁵And having this confidence, I know that I shall remain and that I shall continue to remain with all of you, for your advancement and for your joy in the faith, ↗

²⁶so that your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus for me, through my return to you again. ↗

²⁷Only let your behavior be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that, whether I return and see you, or whether, being absent, I hear about you, still you may stand firm with one spirit, with one mind, laboring together for the faith of the Gospel. ↗

²⁸And in nothing be terrified by the adversaries. For what is to them an occasion of perdition, is to you an occasion of salvation, and this is from God. ↗

²⁹For this has been given to you on behalf of Christ, not only so that you may believe in him, but even so that you may suffer with him, ↗

³⁰engaging in the same struggle, of a kind which you also have seen in me, and which you now have heard from me. ↗