Only, do lead a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. Whether I come and see you or only hear of you in absence, let me know you are standing firm in a common spirit, fighting side by side like one man for the faith of the gospel.

I pray you to give me the utter joy of knowing you are living in harmony, with the same feelings of love, with one heart and soul,

Therefore, my beloved, as you have been obedient always and not simply when I was present, so, now that I am absent, work all the more strenuously at your salvation with reverence and trembling,

Even if my life-blood has to be poured as a libation on the sacred sacrifice of faith you are offering to God, I rejoice, I congratulate you all ??18 and you in turn must rejoice and congratulate me.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send you Timotheus before long, that I may be heartened by news of you.

But you know how he has stood the test, how he has served with me in the gospel, like a son helping his father.

I hope to send him then, as soon as ever I see how it will go with me ??24 though I am confident in the Lord that I shall be coming myself before long.

As for Epaphroditus, however, my brother, my fellow-worker, my fellow-soldier, and your messenger to meet my wants, I think it necessary to send you him at once,

And he was ill, nearly dead with illness. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me, to save me from having one sorrow upon another.

So I am specially eager to send him, that you may be glad when you see him again, and thus my own anxiety may be lightened.

for he nearly died in the service of Christ by risking his life to make up for the services you were not here to render me.

Well then, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. I am repeating this word 'rejoice' in my letter, but that does not tire me and it is the safe course for you. ??2 Beware of these dogs, these wicked workmen, the incision-party!

But for Christ's sake I have learned to count my former gains a loss;

indeed I count anything a loss, compared to the supreme value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything (I count it all the veriest refuse) in order to gain Christ

and be found at death in him, possessing no legal righteousness of my own but the righteousness of faith in Christ, the divine righteousness that rests on faith.

I would know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, with my nature transformed to die as he died,

Brothers, I for one do not consider myself to have appropriated this; my one thought is, by forgetting what lies behind me and straining to what lies before me,

Copy me, brothers, one and all of you, and notice those who live by the example you get from me.

So then, my brothers, for whom I cherish love and longing, my joy and crown, this is how you must stand firm in the Lord, O my beloved.

And you, my true comrade, lend a hand to these women, I beg of you; they have fought at my side in the active service of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Practise also what you have learned and received from me, what you heard me say and what you saw me do; then the God of peace will be with you.

It was a great joy to me in the Lord that your care for me could revive again; for what you lacked was never the care but the chance of showing it.

In him who strengthens me I am able for anything.

But you were kind enough to take your share in my trouble.

You Philippians are well aware that in the early days of the gospel, when I had left Macedonia, no church but yourselves had any financial dealings with me;

even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent money more than once for my needs.

Your debt to me is fully paid and more than paid! I am amply supplied with what you have sent by Epaphroditus, a fragrant perfume, the sort of sacrifice that God approves and welcomes.

My God will supply all your own needs from his wealth in Glory in Christ Jesus.

Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers beside me salute you.

so that you may lead a life that is worthy of the Lord and give him entire satisfaction. May you be fruitful and increase in the doing of all good, as you thus know God!

May his glorious might nerve you with full power to endure and to be patient cheerfully, whatever comes,

I am suffering now on your behalf, but I rejoice in that; I would make up the full sum of all that Christ has to suffer in my person on behalf of the church, his Body;

for I am a minister of the church by the divine commission which has been granted me in your interests, to make a full presentation of God's message ??26 of that open secret which, though concealed from ages and generations of old, has now been disclosed to the saints of God.

I labour for that end, striving for it with the divine energy which is a power within me.

Striving? Yes, I want you to understand my deep concern for you and for those at Laodicea, for all who have never seen my face.

May their hearts be encouraged! May they learn the meaning of love! May they have all the wealth of conviction that comes from insight! May they learn to know that open secret of God, the Father of Christ,

and pray for me as well, that God may give me an opening for the word, to speak of the open secret of Christ for which I am in custody.

Pray that I may unfold it as I should.

Tychicus, that beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord, will give you all information about me.

The reason why I am sending him to you is that he may ascertain how you are, and encourage your hearts.

Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner salutes you; so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, about whom you have got instructions (if he comes to you, give him a welcome);

and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only comrades in the work of God's realm, belonging to the circumcised, who have been any comfort to me.

Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, salutes you ??a servant of Christ Jesus who is always earnest in prayer for you, that you may stand firm like mature and convinced Christians, whatever be the will of God for you.

This salutation is in my own hand, from Paul. 'Remember I am in prison. Grace be with you.'

for you have started, my brothers, to copy the churches of God in Christ Jesus throughout Judaea; you have suffered from your compatriots just as they have suffered from the Jews,

So, unable to bear it any longer, I made up my mind to be left behind at Athens all alone;

But when Timotheus reached me a moment ago, on his return from you, bringing me the good news of your faith and love and of how you always remember me kindly, longing to see me as I long to see you,

then, amid all my own distress and trouble, I was cheered ??this faith of yours encouraged me.

It is life to me now, if you stand firm in the Lord.

How can I render thanks enough to God for you, for all the joy you make me feel in the presence of our God?

Night and day I pray specially that I may see your faces and supply what is defective in your faith.

May our God and Father and our Lord Jesus direct my way to you!

And may the Lord make you increase and excel in love to one another and to all men (as is my love for you),

so that your life may be correct in the eyes of the outside world and self-supporting.

May the God of peace consecrate you through and through! Spirit, soul, and body, may you be kept without break or blame till the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ!

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you (and you glorified in him), by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

not to let your minds get easily unsettled or excited by any spirit of prophecy or any declaration or any letter purporting to come from me, to the effect that the Day of the Lord is already here.

Let nobody delude you into this belief, whatever he may say. It will not come till the Rebellion takes place first of all, with the revealing of the Lawless One, the doomed One,

so that all may be doomed who refuse faith in the Truth but delight in evil.

And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope,

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as in your own case,

and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men ??for the faith is not held by all.

May the Lord direct your hearts towards God's love and towards Christ's patience!

May the Lord of peace himself grant you peace continually, whatever comes. The Lord be with you all.

The salutation is in my own hand, Paul's; that is a mark in every letter of mine. This is how I write.

As I asked you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay where you are at Ephesus and warn certain individuals against teaching novelties

I render thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has made me able for this; he considered me trustworthy and appointed me to the ministry,

though I had formerly been a blasphemer and a persecutor and a wanton aggressor. I obtained mercy because in my unbelief I had acted out of ignorance;

and the grace of our Lord flooded my life along with the faith and love that Christ Jesus inspires.

I transmit these instructions to you, Timotheus my son, in accordance with what the prophets said who first directed me to you; fight the good fight on these lines,

Well, my very first counsel is that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving, are to be offered for all men ??2 for kings and all in authority, that we may lead a tranquil life in all piety and gravity;

Attend to these duties, let them absorb you, so that all men may note your progress.

I render thanks to God, the God of my fathers whom I worship with a pure conscience, as I mention you constantly in my prayers.

When I recall the tears you shed when we parted, I long by night and day to see you again. That would fill me with joy,

Hence I would remind you to rekindle the divine gift which you received when my hands were laid upon you;

So do not be ashamed to testify to our Lord, and do not be ashamed of a prisoner of the Lord like me; join me in bearing suffering for the gospel by the power of the God

Model yourself on the sound instruction you have had from me in the faith and love of Christ Jesus.

You are aware that all the Asiatics have discarded me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

May the Lord show favour to the household of Onesiphorus, for many a time he braced me up; he was not ashamed of my imprisonment ??17 no, he made eager search for me when he reached Rome, and he found me

(may he find favour with the Lord on the great Day! The Lord grant it!). And you know very well what a help he was to me in Ephesus.

Now, my son, be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus,

and transmit the instructions I gave you in presence of many witnesses to trustworthy men, that they may be competent to teach others.

Never forget "Jesus Christ risen from the dead, descended from David" ??that is my gospel,

he must be gentle in his admonitions to the opposition ??God may perhaps let them change their mind and admit the Truth;

they may come to their senses again and escape the snare of the devil, as they are brought back to life by God to do his will.

Now you have followed my teaching, my practice, my aims, my faith, my patience, my love, my stedfastness,

my persecutions, my sufferings ??all that befell me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, all the persecutions I had to undergo, from which the Lord rescued me.

The last drops of my own sacrifice are falling; my time to go has come.

I have fought in the good fight; I have run my course; I have kept the faith.

Now the crown of a good life awaits me, with which the Lord, that just Judge, will reward me on the great Day ??and not only me but all who have loved and longed for his appearance.

Do your best to come soon to me,

for Demas, in his love for this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens is off to Gaul, Titus to Dalmatia,

Luke is the only one who is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him along with you, for he is of great use in helping me.

When you come, bring the mantle I left at Troas with Carpus, also my books, and particularly my paper.

Alexander the blacksmith has done me a lot of harm: the Lord will pay him back for what he has done (beware of him),

The first time I had to defend myself, I had no supporters; everyone deserted me. God grant it may not be brought up against them!

But the Lord supported me and gave me strength to make a full statement of the gospel and let all the heathen hear it. I was rescued from the jaws of the lion.

The Lord will rescue me from every assault of evil, he will bring me safe to his own realm in heaven. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen.

serving in hope of the life eternal which God, who never lies, promised ages ago ??3 he gave effect to his word in due time by a proclamation with which I have been entrusted by command of God our Saviour: ??4 to Titus my lawful son in a faith we hold in common; grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

they must give good counsel, so that the young women may be trained to love their husbands and children,