Philippians 1-2

English Standard Version

Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, servants^[a] of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^(A)saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the ^(B)overseers^[b] and ^(C)deacons:^[c]

^2 (D)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

^3 (E)I thank my God ^(F)in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ^5 (G)because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began ^(H)a good work in you ^(I)will bring it to completion at ^(J)the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^(K)in my heart, for you are all ^(L)partakers with me of grace,^[d] both ^(M)in my imprisonment and in ^(N)the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For ^(O)God is my witness, ^(P)how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And it is my prayer that ^(Q)your love may abound more and more, ^(R)with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, ^(S)and so be pure and blameless ^(T)for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled ^(U)with the fruit of righteousness that comes ^(V)through Jesus Christ, ^(W)to the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

¹² I want you to know, brothers,^[e] that what has happened to me has really ^(X)served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard^[f] and ^(Y)to all the rest that ^(Z)my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ^(AA)to speak the word^[g] without fear.

^15 (AB)Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, ^(AC)knowing that I am put here for ^(AD)the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ ^(AE)out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that ^(AF)through your prayers and ^(AG)the help of ^(AH)the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope ^(AI)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^(AJ)courage now as always Christ ^(AK)will be honored in my body, ^(AL)whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me ^(AM)to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ^23 (AN)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is ^(AO)to depart and ^(AP)be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ^25 (AQ)Convinced of this, ^(AR)I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your ^(AS)progress and ^(AT)joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me ^(AU)you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

²⁷ Only ^(AV)let your manner of life be ^(AW)worthy^[h] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you ^(AX)that you are standing firm in one spirit, with ^(AY)one mind ^(AZ)striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is ^(BA)a clear sign to them of their destruction, but ^(BB)of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For ^(BC)it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also ^(BD)suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same ^(BE)conflict that ^(BF)you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Christ's Example of Humility

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from ^(BG)love, any ^(BH)participation in the Spirit, any ^(BI)affection and sympathy, ^2 (BJ)complete my joy by being ^(BK)of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from ^(BL)selfish ambition or ^(BM)conceit, but in ^(BN)humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you ^(BO)look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ^5 (BP)Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^{[i] 6 (BQ)}who, though he was in ^(BR)the form of God, did not count equality with God ^(BS)a thing to be grasped,^{[j] 7} but ^(BT)emptied himself, by taking the form of a ^(BU)servant,^{[k] (BV)}being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by ^(BW)becoming obedient to the point of death, ^(BX)even death on a cross. ^9 (BY)Therefore ^(BZ)God has ^(CA)highly exalted him and bestowed on him ^(CB)the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus ^(CC)every knee should bow, ^(CD)in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and ^(CE)every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is ^(CF)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

¹² Therefore, my beloved, ^(CG)as you have always ^(CH)obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for ^(CI)it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for ^(CJ)his good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things ^(CK)without grumbling or ^(CL)disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, ^(CM)children of God ^(CN)without blemish ^(CO)in the midst of ^(CP)a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine ^(CQ)as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast to ^(CR)the word of life, so that in ^(CS)the day of Christ ^(CT)I may be proud that ^(CU)I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ Even if I am to be ^(CV)poured out as a drink offering upon ^(CW)the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus ^(CX)to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰ For I have no one ^(CY)like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all ^(CZ)seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know Timothy's^{[l] (DA)}proven worth, how ^(DB)as a son^[m] with a father ^(DC)he has served with me in the gospel. ²³ I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, ²⁴ and ^(DD)I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

²⁵ I have thought it necessary to send to you ^(DE)Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and ^(DF)fellow soldier, and your messenger and ^(DG)minister to my need, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you 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 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹ So ^(DH)receive him in the Lord with all joy, and ^(DI)honor such men, ³⁰ for he nearly died^{[n] (DJ)}for the work of Christ, risking his life ^(DK)to complete what was lacking in your service to me.