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:
1:2 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:3 I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
1:4 praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
1:5 because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.
1:6 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.
1:7 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.
1:8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,
1:10 to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
1:12 I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the gospel,
1:13 so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium and to all the rest,
1:14 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.
1:15 Of course, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, others from good will.
1:16 The latter act out of love, aware that I am here for the defense of the gospel;
1:17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not from pure motives, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.
1:18 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,
1:19 for I know that this will result in deliverance for me through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
1:20 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.
1:21 For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
1:22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.
1:23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
1:24 Yet that I remain (in) the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.
1:25 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,
1:26 so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.
1:27 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,
1:28 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.
1:29 For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.
1:30 Yours is the same struggle as you saw in me and now hear about me.