Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

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

so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—

and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.

Hold firmly to the message of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.

Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I also may be encouraged when I hear news about you.

I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will also come quickly.

since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick.

Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have one grief on top of another.

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.

regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.

More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ

and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.

And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that is increasing to your account.

that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth.

For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.

He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.

if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church.

I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,

We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.

I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.

I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments.

Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.

He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross.

knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.

At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in prison,

so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak.

Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always contending for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills.

For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.

When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.”

For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,

For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit with you was not without result.

We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you.

This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers.

For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country, just as they did from the Jews

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are always completing the number of their sins, and wrath has overtaken them at last.

so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

In fact, when we were with you, we told you previously that we were going to suffer persecution, and as you know, it happened.

For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.

But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love and reported that you always have good memories of us, wanting to see us, as we also want to see you.

Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing—do so even more.

For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality,

so that each of you knows how to control his own body in sanctification and honor,

so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief.

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.

It is a clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering,

in that day when He comes to be glorified by His saints and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.

And in view of this, we always pray for you that our God will consider you worthy of His calling, and will, by His power, fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith,

so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come.

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.

Don’t you remember that when I was still with you I told you about this?

And you know what currently restrains him, so that he will be revealed in his time.

For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false,

so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but enjoyed unrighteousness.

He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you,

and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith.

We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do what we command.

we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us.

For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others.

Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ that quietly working, they may eat their own food.

And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different doctrine

But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.

We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief.

And the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle,

Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,

for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

but with good works, as is proper for women who affirm that they worship God.

Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.