But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child a father, he has served with me in the work of the glad tidings.

I am therefore all the more eager to send him, in the hope that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have the less sorrow.

since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.

For the rest, my brothers, be glad in the Lord. Writing the same things to you is no trouble to me, and for you it is safe.

although I [could] have confidence even in the flesh.

as to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church; and by the Law's standard of uprightness, no fault could be found with me.

Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do , forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before,

So, my dearly loved brothers, those whom I long to see, [who are] my [reason for] being glad and [who are] my crown of victory; stand firm in [your devotion to] the Lord, my dear ones.

yea, I ask thee also, true yokefellow, assist them, who have contended along with me in the glad tidings, with Clement also, and my other fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life.

Always be glad in the Lord: I will repeat it, be glad.

You should let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near. [Note: This "nearness" could refer to Christ's second coming or to His nearness to His people in a spiritual sense].

But I am very glad in the Lord that your care for me has come to life again; though you did in fact take thought for me, but you were not able to give effect to it.

Ye know, moreover, even ye, Philippians, - that, in the beginning of the glad-message, when I went forth from Macedonia, not, so much as one assembly, with me had fellowship - in the matter of giving and receiving - save, ye alone, -

on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,

And He is the head of the [spiritual] body, the church. He is [its] source, the firstborn One from the dead [i.e., the first one to return to life, never to die again], so that He could rank first [in importance] over all things.

if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which is under heaven, of which I Paul became minister.

At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body.

It is true that I am not with you in person, but I am with you in spirit, and am glad to see the good order and the unbroken front resulting from your faith in Christ.

[In doing this] Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities [i.e., evil forces] and made a public display of them, triumphing over them through the cross. [Note: This could possibly be rendered "God triumphed over them through Christ"].

Do not allow anyone, who delights in acting humble [i.e., living an ascetic life] and who worships angels, to rob you of your reward [in heaven]. [Note: This "angel worship" could mean holding angels in high regard because of their role as God's messengers, or the claim that God can be approached only through angelic intermediaries]. He places great importance on what he [claims to] see [i.e., visions], being inflated with pride by his fleshly mind for no [good] reason.

[He is coming], together with Onesimus our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. [Note: This could mean either "from your town" or, "a fellow-Christian"]. They will tell you about everything that is happening here.

And when this letter has been read to you people, see that it is read in the church of the Laodicians also. And see that you read the letter [coming] from Laodicia also. [Note: This could have been a reference to the letter to the Ephesians].

For our glad tidings were not with you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; even as ye know what we were among you for your sakes:

but, having suffered before and been insulted, even as ye know, in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the glad tidings of God with much earnest striving.

but even as we have been approved of God to have the glad tidings entrusted to us, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who proves our hearts.

Nor, of men, seeking glory - either from you, or from others, though we could have assumed, dignity, as Apostles of Christ;

{Although we could have insisted on our own importance} as apostles of Christ, yet we became infants in your midst, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

Thus, yearning over you, we had found our delight in having imparted to you not only the glad tidings of God, but our own lives also, because ye had become beloved of us.

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and toil: working night and day, not to be chargeable to any one of you, we have preached to you the glad tidings of God.

Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;

and sent Timotheus, our brother and fellow-workman under God in the glad tidings of Christ, to confirm you and encourage you concerning your faith,

For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we also to see you;

for now we [really] live, if you [continue to] stand firm in [the service of] the Lord [i.e., Paul could enjoy life much more in knowing that the Thessalonians were living for the Lord faithfully].

For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God;

but we must be sober, we who belong to the day, clad in faith and love as our coat of mail, with the hope of salvation as our helmet ??9 for God destined us not for Wrath but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep [i.e., alive or dead], we could live together with Him.

Rejoice always and delight in your faith;

in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who know not God, and those who do not obey the glad tidings of our Lord Jesus Christ;

and all kinds of wicked deception toward those people who are perishing [spiritually], because they refused to love the truth so they could be saved.

whereto he has called you by our glad tidings, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[We did this], not because we did not have a right [to support], but so we could become an example for you to imitate.

When I was on my way to Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain people to stop teaching false doctrine

according to the glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

[He must] not be a new convert or else he could become conceited [i.e., over being in a leadership position] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil.

He must also have a good reputation among outsiders [i.e., non-Christians], or else he could fall into reproach [i.e., from worldly people] and [therefore] into the devil's trap.

[Such teaching will be spread] by hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared over as with a hot iron [i.e., making them insensitive to their guilt].

having guilt because they have cast off the first faith.

Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but suffer evil along with the glad tidings, according to the power of God;

but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings;

You know that all those people in [the province of] Asia deserted me [i.e., those who could have helped me], including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

Remember Jesus Christ raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, according to my glad tidings,

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles could hear it. I was rescued out of a lion's mouth.

Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.

The reason I left you in Crete [Note: This was an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the southern coast of Greece] was so you could set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city [i.e., where there was a church], as I directed you.

Looking for the glad hope, the revelation of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;

He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

[This was] so that, being made right with God by His unearned favor, we could have the hope of [possessing our] inheritance of never ending life [in heaven].

well aware that such a person is twisted and is sinning; he is convicted and self-condemned [and is gratified by causing confusion among believers].

So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper,

whom I was desirous of keeping with myself, that for thee he might minister to me in the bonds of the glad tidings;

15Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you could have him back forever,

I, Paul, have written this letter with my own hand: I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe me your very self.

The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

Because of this it behoveth us more abundantly to take heed to the things heard, lest we may glide aside,

Therefore, since the children share in blood and flesh, he also in like manner shared in these [same things], in order that through death he could destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

and could set free these who through fear of death were subject to slavery throughout all their lives.

Therefore he was obligated to be made like his brothers in all [respects], in order that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things relating to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

But Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we keep our hearts fixed in the glad and certain hope till the end.

where your fathers put me to the proof, and for forty years felt what I could do.

and who were they, who, he sware, should not enter into his rest, but those that did not believe? so we see that they could not enter in,

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

For indeed we have had glad tidings presented to us, even as they also; but the word of the report did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard.

Seeing therefore it remains that some enter into it, and those who first received the glad tidings did not enter in on account of not hearkening to the word,

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

He did this so that by two unchangeable things [i.e., His promise and His oath], (and it is impossible for God to lie), we, who have fled [to God] for refuge, could be greatly encouraged to take hold of the hope set before us [i.e., the hope of never ending life].

And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham.

Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood for on this basis the people received the Law what further need would there be to speak of appointing another kind of priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not one according to the order of Aaron?

For if he were on earth, he could not be a priest; because there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there could have been no room for a second one.

Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

but only the high priest could enter the inner part, and he but once a year, and never without taking some victim's blood, to offer on his own behalf and for the sins committed through ignorance by the people.

Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and a [burnt] heifer's ashes sprinkled on people who had been [ceremonially] defiled, could purify them so as to make them [ceremonially] clean on the outside,

So even the old agreement could not be ratified without the use of blood.

In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment].

For the law having a shadow of the good things that were to come, not the very likeness of the things, could not by the sacrifices which they offered continually every year perfect the offerers;

For if it were otherwise, would not these sacrifices have stopped being offered? For the worshipers, having once [for all time] been cleansed, would no longer have a consciousness of sin.

And indeed it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats, should take away the guilt of sin.

While the high priest in his daily administrations frequently repeated the same sacrifices which could by no means expiate sin;

let us draw near with sincerity, in full assurance of faith, having our consciences purified from guilt, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Through faith Enoch was taken from the earth so that he did not see death, and he could not be found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken we have evidence that he truly pleased God.

It was faith that enabled Noah, after he had received the divine warning about what could not then be foreseen, to build, in reverent obedience, an ark in which to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world, and became possessed of that righteousness which follows upon faith.

It was by faith that even Sara got strength to conceive, bearing a son when she was past the age for it ??because she considered she could rely on Him who gave the promise.

And if indeed they had been mindful of that from which they came, they could have had an opportunity to return.

Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.

By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king's anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible.