I urge you, therefore, as a prisoner of the Lord, to live in a way that measures up to [the standard required by] God when He called you.

There is [only] one body [i.e., church] and one Holy Spirit, just as God also gave you one hope when He called you [See Titus 3:7].

Therefore it says,

“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And He bestowed gifts on men.”

From Him the whole body [the church, in all its various parts], joined and knitted firmly together by what every joint supplies, when each part is working properly, causes the body to grow and mature, building itself up in [unselfish] love.

Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.

Let no filthy communication proceed out of your mouths: but that which is good to edify withal, when need is, that it may have favour with the hearers.

for you people were once darkness [i.e., when living in sin], but now you are light in [fellowship with] the Lord. [So], live like people who belong to light [i.e., who live godly lives],

All things, however, when reproved by the light, become manifest, for, all that of itself maketh manifest, is, light;

when you talk together; with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and with all your hearts making music unto the Lord;

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear, trembling, and sincerity, as when you obey the Messiah.

not like those who do their work only when someone is watching -- as people-pleasers -- but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

Therefore take up the panoply of God, so that when the evil day comes you may be able to withstand them, and having overthrown them all, to stand your ground.

Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

for the sake of which I am an envoy in prison: so that, when I tell it, I may speak as courageously as I ought.

always when offering any prayer on behalf of you all, finding a joy in offering it.

It is right for me to feel this way about you, because [you have me in your heart as] I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news [regarding salvation], all of you share in [His matchless] grace with me.

so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah returns,

so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

but emptied himself of his glory by taking the form of a slave, when he was born in the likeness of men.

When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

And so, when Jesus' name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they're residing.

So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts;

as you hold firmly to the word of life. Then I will be proud when the Messiah returns that I did not run in vain or work hard in vain.

And yet, even if, when your faith is offered as a sacrifice to God, my life-blood must be poured out in addition, still I shall rejoice and share the joy of you all;

I am hoping, however, in the Lord Jesus - Timothy, shortly, to send unto you, in order that, I also, may be of cheerful soul, when I have ascertained the things that concern you.

Him then I am hoping to send as quickly as possible, when I am able to see how things will go for me:

I have sent him, then, the more gladly, so that when you see him again, you may be happy and I may have the less sorrow.

circumcised when I was eight days old, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews [an exemplary Hebrew]; as to the [observance of the] Law, a Pharisee;

nay I think them disadvantages when put in competition with the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whose sake I abandon all these things, and count them as straw, that I may gain Christ,

And [when you do], the peace from God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and thoughts [from anxiety] in [fellowship with] Christ Jesus.

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

For when I was in Thessalonica, ye sent once, and afterward again, unto my needs:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

and for the hope of what is stored up for you in heaven. You first heard of it long ago when the true message of the gospel

Which has come to you; and which in all the world is giving fruit and increase, as it has done in you from the day when it came to your ears and you had true knowledge of the grace of God;

For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit,

To whom it was his pleasure to make known the surpassing glory of that hidden Truth when proclaimed among the Gentiles--'Christ among you! Your Hope of glory!'

by whom also ye have obtain'd the true spiritual circumcision, not effected by men, when you were by a christian circumcision divested of all your carnal affections,

having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead.

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all our trespasses.

canceled the bond which stood against us, with its requirements, and put it out of our way when he nailed it to the cross.

Principalities and powers he disarmed, and openly displayed them as his trophies, when he triumphed over them in the cross.

Such a person is not continuing in connection with the Head, from which the whole body, when supplied and united through its joints and sinews, grows with a growth that God produces.

For all the things referred to in them cease to exist when used. You are following mere human directions and instructions.

When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

and in these [sinful things] you also once walked, when you were habitually living in them [without the knowledge of Christ].

bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, when one has any cause of complaint against another: as the Lord forgave you, do you likewise forgive.

Servants, in everything obey those who are your masters on earth, not only with external service, as those who merely please people, but with sincerity of heart because of your fear of the Lord.

Be unwearied in prayer, and keep awake in it when giving thanks.

let an air of modesty appear in all your discourse; and let it be seasoned with discretion, in making a proper reply, when you are call'd into question.

When this letter has been read among you, see that it is read in the church of the Laodiceans; and also that you in turn read my letter [that is coming to you] from Laodicea.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, continually mentioning you in our prayers;

in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you).

and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.

For when people speak of us, they tell what a welcome you gave us, and how you turned from idols to God, to serve a true and living God,

Or looking for glory from men, from you or from others, when we might have made ourselves a care to you as Apostles of Christ.

But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother tenderly caring for her own children.

You remember, brothers, our hard labor and toil. We kept up our habit of working night and day, in order not to be a burden to any of you when we preached to you.

And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith].

But [when] we were made orphans by separation from you, brothers, for {a short time} (in face, not in heart), [we were] even more eager with great desire to see your face,

For who is [the object of] our hope or joy or our victor’s wreath of triumphant celebration [when we stand] in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

Therefore, when we could no longer endure our separation [from you], we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens,

For also when we were with you we foretold you that we were going to be oppressed, just as it also happened, and ye know.

So, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that my labor had been in vain.

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

so that He may strengthen your hearts to be faultless in purity in the sight of God, when our Lord Jesus comes back with all His consecrated ones.

For on the Lord's own authority we say that those of us who may be left behind and are still living when the Lord comes back, will have no advantage at all over those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself, at the summons, when the archangel calls and God's trumpet sounds, will come down from heaven, and first those who died in union with Christ will rise;

for you know perfectly well that the day of the Lord [i.e., when He returns, See II Thess. 2:1-2] will arrive like a thief coming in the night.

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.

May God Himself, who gave you peace, consecrate your whole being. May you be safely kept, spirit, soul, and body, so as to be blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back.

And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with the angels of his power in flames of fire,

the Lord shall punish them with everlasting destruction, when he shall appear in the glory of his power,

when on that day He comes to be glorified in His consecrated ones and to be admired by all who believe in Him because our testimony has been confidently accepted among you.

we request that you people do not become shaken up in your mind, nor alarmed, either by a spirit [i.e., by some prophetic prediction], or by a report, or by a letter supposedly from us, that the day of the Lord [i.e., when Jesus returns] has already come.

the adversary of every being that is called a god or an object of worship, and so overbearing toward them as to enter God's sanctuary and take his seat there, proclaiming himself to be God??5 do you not remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you this?

Do ye not remember that when I was yet with you I told you these things?

You know what it is that is now holding him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes.

You know yourselves how you ought to follow my example; for I was not a shirker when I was with you;

For when I was with you, I gave you this direction, "If a person refuses to work, he must not be allowed to eat."

As I begged you to do when I was on my way to Macedonia, I still beg you to stay on in Ephesus to warn certain teachers

We know, of course, that the Law is excellent, when used legitimately,

when before I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a tyrant. But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly, through unbelief:

And for this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying [when I say this]—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

And Adam was not [the one] deceived, but [it was] the woman who, when deceived, fell into sin.

How true is that saying! When a man aspires to be a Presiding-Officer in the Church, he is ambitious for a noble task.

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of [only] one wife, sober-minded [Note: When this word, used here figuratively, is used in its literal sense, it means to abstain from intoxicating drinks], sensible, respectable, hospitable, capable of teaching.

And they must also be well-tried men, and when found to be of unblemished character then let them serve as deacons.

Because every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, when it is received with thanksgiving;

Stop neglecting the gift you received, which was given you through prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you.

(When a widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn that the first duty of religion is to their own household, and that they should make some return to those who have brought them up. In God's sight this is an acceptable thing.)

Let a widow be put on the list when not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one husband,

Keep the young widows off this roll, for when they get to indulging their lower nature in opposition to Christ, they want to marry,

For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox when he is treading out the grain," and, "The workman deserves his pay."

Say sharp words to sinners when all are present, so that the rest may be in fear.

Likewise, good deeds are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be hidden [indefinitely].

But godliness [itself] is great gain, [when it is] accompanied by contentment.

When we have food and raiment, let us therewith be content.

Keep up the good fight for the faith. Keep your hold on eternal life, to which God called you, when before many witnesses you made the good profession of faith.

I [solemnly] urge you in the presence of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession when He testified in front of Pontius Pilate [See John 18:37; Matt. 27:17],