Nor shameful conduct, nor foolish talk or jesting, for they are wholly out of place among you; but rather thanksgiving.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

for everything made visible is light. Therefore it says, Wake up, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.

For this reason be not foolish, but understanding what is the will of the Lord.

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit and constantly guided by Him.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

And might take it for himself, a church full of glory, not having one mark or fold or any such thing; but that it might be holy and complete.

Even so it is right for husbands to have love for their wives as for their bodies. He who has love for his wife has love for himself:

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This mystery is great, but I speak for Christ and for the church.

Nevertheless do ye also severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife'see that she fear her husband.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

So that all may be well for you, and your life may be long on the earth.

And, you fathers, do not make your children angry: but give them training in the teaching and fear of the Lord.

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Give your service heartily and cheerfully, as working for the Master and not for men;

Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

And you masters, act towards your slaves on the same principles, and refrain from threats. For you know that in Heaven there is One who is your Master as well as theirs, and that merely earthly distinctions there are none with Him.

For the rest, brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the might of his strength.

put on the whole armour of God, for your being able to stand against the wiles of the devil,

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

For this reason take to you the panoply of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having accomplished all things, to stand.

Stand your ground, then, 'with truth for your belt,' and 'with righteousness for your breast-plate,'

and your feet sandaled with readiness
for the gospel of peace.

And along with everything else, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fire-tipped arrows of the evil one.

And take salvation for your head-dress and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

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,