But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

And being seen in form as a man, he took the lowest place, and let himself be put to death, even the death of the cross.

For this reason God has put him in the highest place and has given to him the name which is greater than 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.

But if also I am poured out as a libation on the sacrifice and ministration of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice in common with you all.

And I bid you also share my gladness, and congratulate me.

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

For I have no one but him to send--no one of kindred spirit who would take the same genuine interest in your welfare.

But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

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.

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.

Beware of 'the dogs,' the bad workmen, the self-mutilators.

for we [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, set apart for His purpose and] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory and take pride and exult in Christ Jesus and place no confidence [in what we have or who we are] in the flesh—

-- though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more:

as to zeal persecuting the church, as to the righteousness of the law blameless: but those things,

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 be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

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.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

but there is one thing, indeed forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those which are before, I press toward the goal unto the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

But whereto we have attained, let us walk in the same steps.

For many live, of whom I spoke about to you many times, but now speak about even weeping, [as] the enemies of the cross of Christ,

But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

By whom this poor body of ours will be changed into the image of the body of his glory, in the measure of the working by which he is able to put all things under himself.

Yes, and I am asking you also, [my] faithful partner [Note: This person is unknown, but may have been one of Paul's preacher companions], help those women, for they have worked hard with me in [spreading] the Gospel, along with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life. [See Rev. 3:5; Heb. 12:23].

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

All that you learned and received and heard and saw in me put into practice continually; and then God, the giver of peace, will be with you.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

But I will not say anything about my needs, for I am able, wherever I am, to be dependent on myself.

But ye have done well in taking part in my affliction.

Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

But to our God and Father be glory to the ages of ages. Amen.

All the saints greet you, but especially those from Caesar’s household.

which is not only come to you, but to all the world; where it produces its effects, and increases, as it does also among you, ever since you sincerely embrac'd the divine favour,

through whom we receive redemption [i.e., are bought back from Satan], which is the forgiveness of [our] sins.

Once you were estranged yourselves, your hearts hostile to him in evildoing; but now he has reconciled you by dying in his mortal body,

but now you have been reconciled by {his physical body} through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

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;

In it, by divine appointment, I became a worker, that I might preach among you the message of God in its fulness??26 that secret, hidden from the ages and generations, but now disclosed to those who are consecrated to him,

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

But I say this that no one may mislead you with persuasive words.

For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the [spiritual] circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of the body of the flesh [the sinful carnal nature],

Having been put to death with him in baptism, by which you came to life again with him, through faith in the working of God, who made him come back from the dead.

Having put an end to the handwriting of the law which was against us, taking it out of the way by nailing it to his cross;

Having made himself free from the rule of authorities and powers, he put them openly to shame, glorying over them in it.

Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.

If you were made free, by your death with Christ, from the rules of the world, why do you put yourselves under the authority of orders

Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

may the peace of Christ, to which you are called to be but one body, influence your hearts, to be benevolent.

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

Work at everything you do with all your hearts, as work done not for men only but for the Lord,

But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

put up your requests likewise for me, that God would give me an opportunity to declare the mystery of Christ (for which I am even in bonds:)

let your talk always have a saving salt of grace about it, and learn how to answer any question put to you.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

And you yourselves began to follow, not only our example, but the Master's also; and, in spite of much suffering, you welcomed the Message with a joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

People tell us of their own accord about the visit we paid to you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and a real God

But you remember yourselves, brothers, that our visit to you was no failure.

But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

[And] we were not looking for honor from people, either from you or from anyone else, even though, as apostles of Christ, we could have become a burden [to you]. [Note: The idea seems to be that the apostles could have claimed financial support, but chose not to].

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

For, brothers, you remember our labor and toil. For laboring night and day in order not to put a burden on any one of you, we preached the gospel of God to you.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

who did both put to death the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and did persecute us, and God they are not pleasing, and to all men are contrary,

forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

For who is our hope, our joy, our crown of pride (who but you?) in the presence of our Lord Jesus on his arrival?

But when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and that our work had been a waste of time.

But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:

But our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.

But you, may the Lord make to exceed and abound in love toward one another, and toward all, even as we also towards you,

And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

When people say, "Such peace and security!" then suddenly destruction falls upon them, like birth pains upon a woman who is about to become a mother, but they shall not escape, no, not at all.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.