Philippians 1

Modern

Literal

Greetings from Paul and Timothy

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus being in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

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

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

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³I thank my God every time I remember you.

³I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

⁴In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy,

⁴always in my every supplication for all of you, making the supplication with joy,

⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

⁵for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

⁶being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁶being persuaded of this very thing, that the One having begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me.

⁷Accordingly, it is right for me to think this about all of you, because of me having you in the heart. Both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers of grace with me.

⁸God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁸For God is my witness how I long for you all in the inner affections of Christ Jesus.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

¹⁰so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

¹⁰for you to approve the things being excellent, so that you may be pure and blameless unto the day of Christ,

¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹¹being filled with the fruit of righteousness that is through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Trials Advance the Gospel

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel.

¹²Now I want you to know brothers, that the things concerning me really have come to the advancement of the gospel,

¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^a and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

¹³so as for my chains in Christ to have become manifest in all the Praetorium and to all the rest;

¹⁴And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word^a without fear.

¹⁴and most of the brothers, trusting in the Lord by my chains, dare more abundantly to speak fearlessly the word.

¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.

¹⁵Indeed, some, even through envy and strife, but some also through goodwill, preach Christ—

¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.^a

¹⁶the ones indeed out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;

¹⁷The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains.

¹⁷but the others proclaim Christ out of self-interest, not purely, supposing to add tribulation to my chains.

¹⁸What then is the issue?^a Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

¹⁸What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretext or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

¹⁹because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

¹⁹for I know that this will turn out for me to deliverance, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

²⁰according to my eager expectation and hope that I will be ashamed in nothing, but in all boldness, as always, also now, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death.

To Live Is Christ

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

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

²²But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know.

²²But if I am to live in flesh, this for me is the fruit of work; and what will I choose? I do not know.

²³I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

²³But I am pressed by the two, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for it is very much better,

²⁴But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on account of you.

²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

²⁵And having been persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy of the faith,

²⁶so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me.

²⁶so that through my coming to you again your boasting in me may abound in Christ Jesus.

Worthy of the Gospel

²⁷Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending together as one for the^a faith of the gospel,

²⁷Only conduct yourselves worthily of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether having come and having seen you, or being absent, I might hear the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, contending together with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

²⁸without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.

²⁸and not being frightened in anything by those opposing you, which is a demonstration of destruction to them, but of salvation to you—and this from God.

²⁹For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,

²⁹For it was granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on behalf of Him,

³⁰since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

³⁰having the same struggle such as you saw in me and now hear of in me.