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1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
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2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
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4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
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5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
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6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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7 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.
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8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
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9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
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10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
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11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
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12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
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13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
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14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
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15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
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16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
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17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
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18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
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19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
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20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
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21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
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23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
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24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
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25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
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26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
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27 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;
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28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
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29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
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30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
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- 1 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:
- 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
- 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,
- 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
- 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
- 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
- 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
- 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
- 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
- 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
- 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
- 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,
- 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
- 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
- 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
- 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
- 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
- 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
- 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
- 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
- 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
- 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
- 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
- 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
- 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
- 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
- 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
- 29 For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
- 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
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