Philippians, 1

1. Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and ministers:

1. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with their presiding elders and the deacons.

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

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

3. I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,

3. I thank my God whenever I think of you,

4. praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,

4. and every time I pray for you all, I always pray with joy

5. because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.

5. for your partnership in the gospel from the very first day up to the present.

6. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

6. I am quite confident that the One who began a good work in you will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes.

7. It is right that I should think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

7. It is only right that I should feel like this towards you all, because you have a place in my heart, since you have all shared together in the grace that has been mine, both my chains and my work defending and establishing the gospel.

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

8. For God will testify for me how much I long for you all with the warm longing of Christ Jesus;

9. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,

9. it is my prayer that your love for one another may grow more and more with the knowledge and complete understanding

10. to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

10. that will help you to come to true discernment, so that you will be innocent and free of any trace of guilt when the Day of Christ comes,

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

11. entirely filled with the fruits of uprightness through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

12. I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the gospel,

12. Now I want you to realise, brothers, that the circumstances of my present life are helping rather than hindering the advance of the gospel.

13. so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest,

13. My chains in Christ have become well known not only to all the Praetorium, but to everybody else,

14. and so that the majority of the brothers, having taken encouragement in the Lord from my imprisonment, dare more than ever to proclaim the word fearlessly.

14. and so most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my chains and are getting more and more daring in announcing the Message without any fear.

15. Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will.

15. It is true that some of them are preaching Christ out of malice and rivalry; but there are many as well whose intentions are good;

16. The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel;

16. some are doing it out of love, knowing that I remain firm in my defence of the gospel.

17. the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.

17. There are others who are proclaiming Christ out of jealousy, not in sincerity but meaning to add to the weight of my chains.

18. What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,

18. But what does it matter? Only that in both ways, whether with false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and for that I am happy;

19. through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

19. and I shall go on being happy, too, because I know that this is what will save me, with your prayers and with the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ;

20. My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

20. all in accordance with my most confident hope and trust that I shall never have to admit defeat, but with complete fearlessness I shall go on, so that now, as always, Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or my death.

21. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

21. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would be a positive gain.

22. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.

22. On the other hand again, if to be alive in the body gives me an opportunity for fruitful work, I do not know which I should choose.

23. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, (for) that is far better.

23. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and to be with Christ, and this is by far the stronger desire-

24. Yet that I remain (in) the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.

24. and yet for your sake to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need.

25. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

25. This much I know for certain, that I shall stay and stand by you all, to encourage your advance and your joy in the faith,

26. so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.

26. so that my return to be among you may increase to overflowing your pride in Jesus Christ on my account.

27. Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel,

27. But you must always behave in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to you and see for myself or whether I only hear all about you from a distance, I shall find that you are standing firm and united in spirit, battling, as a team with a single aim, for the faith of the gospel.

28. not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing.

28. undismayed by any of your opponents. This will be a clear sign, for them that they are to be lost, and for you that you are to be saved.

29. For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.

29. This comes from God, for you have been granted the privilege for Christ's sake not only of believing in him but of suffering for him as well;

30. Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.

30. you are fighting the same battle which you saw me fighting for him and which you hear I am fighting still.