for what you have contributed to the gospel from the very first day down to this moment;

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

For God beareth me record how greatly I long after you all from the very heart-root in Jesus Christ.

and very many of our brethren in the Lord, assuming confidence from my chains, are more abundantly bold, fearlessly to preach the word.

But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:

and yet your needs make it very necessary for me to stay on here.

He existed in the form of God [i.e., He shared God's very nature], but did not consider [remaining] equal with God something [to continue] to hold onto.

And that is why God raised him to the very highest place, and gave him the Name which stands above all other names,

However, I hope by the favour of the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you very soon, that I may have some encouragement by knowing the state of your affairs:

nay, I trust in the Lord, that I myself too shall visit you very soon.

since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

And I can assure you that his illness very nearly proved fatal. But God had pity on him, and not on him only but also on me, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice when you see him again and I may be less anxious.

So give him a hearty Christian welcome, and value men like him very highly,

because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me [which distance prevented you from rendering personally].

In very truth I count all things but loss compared to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and esteem them but refuse that I may gain Christ,

So my brothers, well loved and very dear to me, my joy and crown, be strong in the Lord, my loved ones.

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that now at last you have renewed your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned about me before, but you had no opportunity to show it.

But it was very kind of you to share my difficulties.

And you very well know, Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I had left Macedonia, no church but yourselves had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving.

For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent -- a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.