PAUL and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ
Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (2)grace be
unto you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(3)I give thanks to my God on every remembrance of you, (4)always in
every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy, (5)for your
fellowship in the gospel from the first day even until now; (6)being
confident of this very thing, that he who hath wrought in you the good
work will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ: (7)as it is right
for me to think this of you all, because I bear you on my heart, both
in my bonds and in my defence and the confirmation of the gospel, as
being all of you sharers in my grace. (8)For God is my witness, how
earnestly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. (9)And
this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge
and all understanding; (10)that ye may prove the things that are
excellent, in order that ye may be sincere and without offence unto the
day of Christ; (11)filled with fruits of righteousness, which by Jesus
Christ are to the glory and praise of God.
(12)Now I wish you, brethren, to know, that the things which have
befallen me have rather conduced to the progress of the gospel; (13)so
that my bonds are manifest in Christ through the whole palace, and all
other places; (14)and very many of our brethren in the Lord, assuming
confidence from my chains, are more abundantly bold, fearlessly to
preach the word. (15)Some indeed do it in a spirit of envy and strife;
but some also preach Christ with cordial good-will: (16)the one indeed
preach Christ out of contention, not with purity of intention, thinking
to add affliction to my bonds: (17)but the others of love, knowing that
I am exposed for the defence of the gospel. (18)What then? if Christ is
preached in whatever manner it be, whether in pretext or reality, even
in this do I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. (19)For I know that this
shall issue in my salvation through your prayers, and the supply of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ, (20)according to my firm expectation and hope,
that I shall be confounded by no event, but that with all boldness, as
always hitherto, Christ shall now also be magnified in my body, whether
by my life or death. (21)For to me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. (22)But if it be his will, that I should live in the flesh, this
is the fruit of my travail: and what to chuse I know not. (23)For I am
in a strait between the two, having an earnest longing to be dissolved,
and to be with Christ, for this is far, far better: (24)but to abide in
the flesh may be more necessary for you. (25)And being so persuaded, I
know that I shall stay and continue with you all for your progress and
joy of faith; (26)that your glorying may abound in Christ Jesus for me
by my coming again unto you.
(27)Only conduct yourselves worthily as 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 soul wrestling
together in the faith of the gospel; (28)and not dismayed on any
occasion by your adversaries; which is indeed the proof of perdition to
them, but of salvation to you, and that from God. (29)For this favour
on the part of Christ is granted you, not only that ye should believe
on him, but also that ye should suffer for his sake; (30)experiencing
the same conflict which ye have seen in me, and now hear to be in me.