Chapter One
Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and ministers: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God on every recollection of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests with joy, for your fellowship in the joyful news fromthe first day until now, being persuaded of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ, even as it is right for me to think this about you all because I have you in my heart in that, both in my bonds and in the defence and assurance of the joyful news, you are all partakers of my grace.
For God is my witness how I long after you all in the innermost love of Jesus Christ. And I’m praying this, that your love may increase still more and more in knowledge and all understanding, so you approve the things that are excellent, so you may be pure and without offence for the day of Christ, being filled with fruits of righteousness by means of Jesus Christ, to God’s glory and praise.
But I want you to know brethren that the things concerning me have turned out rather to the advancement of the joyful news, so that my bonds in Christ have become obvious in the whole praetorium and to all the rest, and the majority of the brethren trusting in the Lord by my bonds dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. Some indeed are proclaiming Christ through envy and strife but some also through good will. Some indeed are preaching Christ from contention, not purely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but others from love, knowing that I’m set for the defence of the joyful news.
What then? In any case Christ is proclaimed either in pretence or in truth, and in this I rejoice, indeed rather I will rejoice, for I know that this will become salvation for me through your prayer and the supply of Jesus Christ’s Spirit, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I’ll be ashamed about nothing, but in all boldness, as always, now too Christ will be magnified in my body either through life or through death.
For to me to live is Christ and to die is profit, but if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of labour to me and I don’t know what I’ll choose. For I’m pressed by the two things: for having the desire to depart and to be with Christ - for it’s very much better - but to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake, and being persuaded of this, I know that I’ll stay and continue with you all, for your progress and joy of faith; so that your boasting may be more in Christ Jesus in me, through my presence again with you.
Only behave yourselves worthy of the joyful news of Christ, so that whether having come and seen you, or being absent, I may hear about you that you’re standing firm in one Spirit, with one soul striving together in the faith of the joyful news, and being afraid of nothing on the part of those who oppose, which to them is a manifestation of destruction, but to you of salvation and this from God, because it was granted to you for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer on his behalf, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear of in me.
Chapter Two
So then, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any innermost feelings of mercy, fill up my joy so that you may be of the same mind, having the same love, joined in soul, caring for the one thing, nothing according to strife or vain glory, but in humility esteeming each other above yourselves, let not each one care for their own things but also for those of one another. For let this mind be in you as in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God but emptied himself, having taken a servant’s form, having become after the likeness of men, and having become in the form of a man he humbled himself, becoming obedient even until death - the death of the cross.
So then God raised him up very much and granted him a name over and above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, would bow, and every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in the glory of God the Father.
So then, my beloved, even as you’ve always been obedient, not only in my presence but more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you to want to do and to do according to his wishes. Do everything without murmurings and arguments, so that you may be without fault and without guile, children of God, without blame in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you appear like shining lights in the world, displaying the word of life so I may rejoice in Christ’s day that I haven’t run in vain nor have I laboured in vain.
But if I’m offered on the sacrifice and service of your faith I rejoice, and I rejoice with you all. And in the same way you rejoice and are rejoicing together with me. And I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be of good courage, knowing how you are. For I’ve no one else of the same mind who genuinely cares for how you are. For everybody’s looking to their own matters and not to the matters of Jesus Christ.
But you know his credentials: that as a child is to a father so he has served me for the joyful news. So then I’m hoping to send him once I’ve seen how it will go with me. And I’m persuaded in the Lord that I too will soon come. And I reckoned it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and he who has ministered to my wants. For he was longing for you all and was very depressed because you heard that he was sick, for indeed he was sick almost to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but also on me so that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.
So then I’ve sent him the more carefully so that seeing him again you might rejoice and I might be the less sorrowful. So then receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honour, because for the sake of Christ’s work he went near to death, having disregarded his life so that he might make up your lack of ministration towards me.
Chapter Three
For the rest my brethren, rejoice in the Lord! To write these things to you is not irksome to me and for you it’s an insurance. Look out for dogs, look out for evil doers, look out for those who cut the flesh. For we are the circumcision who serve God in spirit and boast in Christ Jesus and don’t trust in flesh. Though I may trust even in the flesh, if any other thinks to trust in the flesh, I rather: circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, according to the law a Pharisee, according to zeal persecuting the assembly, according to the righteousness in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me I’ve reckoned loss on account of Christ. But indeed rather I also reckon all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I’ve suffered the loss of all things and reckon them to be rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having my righteousness which is from the law, but that which through faith of Christ is the righteousness of God by faith, to know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, if by any means I may arrrive at the resurrection of the dead. Not that I’ve already achieved or already been perfected but I’m pursuing if I may lay hold of that, for I’m also laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren I don’t reckon to have laid hold myself but one thing - forgetting the things behind and stretching out to the things ahead - I press towards the goal for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus.
So then as many as are perfect should be of this mind, and if in anything you are otherwise minded God will reveal even this to you. But whatever we’ve attained let’s walk by the same rule to be of the same mind. Be imitators together of me, brethren, and consider those so walking as you have us as an example - for many are walking, of whom I’ve often told you and I’m telling you now, even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who care for earthly things. For our commonwealth is in heaven, from which too we’re awaiting the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who’ll transform our body of humiliation so it becomes conformed to his glorious body according to the working of his power by which he makes all things subject to himself.
Chapter Four
So then my brethren, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand fast thus in the Lord, beloved. Euodias I beg and Syntache I beg to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I ask you too, true colleague, assist these women who in the joyful news have laboured together with me, with Clement too and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I’ll say: rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. For the rest brethren, whatever things are true, whatever venerable, whatever just, whatever pure, whatever lovely, whatever of good report, if there is any virtue and if any praise, consider these things.
What also you’ve learned and received and heard and have seen in me, do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. But I’ve rejoiced greatly in the Lord that now at last you’ve revived your care of me although you were thinking about it but lacked opportunity. Not that I’m speaking about destitution for I’ve learned in what circumstances I am, to be content. And I know both what it is to be brought low, and to be in plenty. In every thing and in all things I am initiated: both to be full and to be hungry, both to be in plenty, and to be in need. I am strong in all things by the one who empowers me: Christ. But you’ve done well having fellowship in my trouble. And you Philippians know this too, that in the beginning of the joyful news, when I came out from Macedonia, not one assembly had fellowship with me with regard to giving and receiving except you alone, because in Thessalonica too, once and even twice you sent for my need. Not that I’m looking for the gift, but I’m looking for fruit that abounds to your account. But I have all things and I abound; I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things from you, an odour of a sweet smell, an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And to our God and Father, glory for ever and ever, in truth.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren with me greet you. All the saints greet you and especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, in truth.
To the Philippians, written from Rome by Epaphroditus.
This translation,
from the Greek Text used for the ‘Authorized’ or ‘King James’ Version
Copyright © David Lawrie 1998
