I thank my God for my whole remembrance of you,

Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

For of this I am confident, that He who has begun a good work within you will go on to perfect it in preparation for the day of Jesus Christ.

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And it is my prayer that your love may be more and more accompanied by clear knowledge and keen perception, for testing things that differ,

that ye may judge of and approve the things that are more excellent, in order that ye may be pure and without offence for Christ's day,

having been filled with fruits of righteousness, through Jesus Christ, for glory and praise of God.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that {my circumstances} have happened instead for the progress of the gospel,

My imprisonment in [the cause of] Christ has become common knowledge throughout the whole praetorian (imperial) guard and to everyone else.

And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed also for envy and strife, but some also for good will, preach the Christ.

the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;

But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

What then [does it matter]? So long as in every way, whether in pretense [for self-promotion] or in all honesty [to spread the truth], Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice [later as well],

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

In the measure of my strong hope and belief that in nothing will I be put to shame, but that without fear, as at all times, so now will Christ have glory in my body, by life or by death.

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

but if to live in flesh is my lot, this is for me worth the while: and what I shall choose I cannot tell.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God;

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

[Then] make me completely happy by being like-minded, having the same love [for one another], being united in spirit and having the same purpose.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit [through factional motives, or strife], but with [an attitude of] humility [being neither arrogant nor self-righteous], regard others as more important than yourselves.

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus;

who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.

And, in fashion, being found, as a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient as far as death, yea, death upon a cross.

For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

holding forth the word of life, so as to be a boast for me in Christ's day, that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain.

And even if I am offered like a drink offering, giving myself for the cause and work of your faith, I am glad and have joy with you all:

For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

I trust in the Lord Jesus for to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know what case ye stand in.

For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel.

Him then I am hoping to send as quickly as possible, when I am able to see how things will go for me:

But it seemed to me necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, who has taken part with me in the work and in the fight, and your servant, sent by you for help in my need;

For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should 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.

Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Look out for the dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation];

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

though I myself might have [some grounds for] confidence in the flesh [if I were pursuing salvation by works]. If anyone else thinks that he has reason to be confident in the flesh [that is, in his own efforts to achieve salvation], I have far more:

Having been circumcised on the eighth day, I am of the nation of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As far as the Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee.

As for my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As far as righteousness in the Law is concerned, I was blameless.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did];

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

For all those of our number who are mature, this must be the point of view; God will reveal that to any of you who look at things differently.

Only, as far as we have got, let us be guided by the same rule.

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

The end of such men is Ruin; for their appetites are their God, and they glory in their shame; their minds are given up to earthly things.

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Who will change the body of our humiliation, for it to be conformable to the body of his glory, according to the operation by which he is able to place all things under himself.

Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Yea, I beseech thee also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Then God's peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in union with the Messiah Jesus.

For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are amiable, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if any praise, think on these things.

But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have revived your thought for me; wherein ye did indeed take thought, but ye lacked opportunity.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I know how to live humbly; I also know how to live in prosperity. I have been initiated into the secret for all sorts and conditions of life, for plenty and for hunger, for prosperity and for privations.

I have strength for all things in him that gives me power.

Nevertheless, it was right of you to share [with me] in my difficulties.

You Philippians also know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in the matter of giving and receiving except for you.

For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.

Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account.

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.

for which may my God crown all your desires with glory by Christ Jesus.

Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.