1:1 From Paul¹ and Timothy, slaves² of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers³ and deacons. 1:2. Grace and peace to you⁴ from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.⁵ 1:4 Always in my every prayer for all of you I pray with joy 1:5 because of your participation⁶ in the gospel from the first day until now.⁷ 1:6 For I am sure of this very thing,⁸ that the one⁹ who began a good work in¹⁰ you will perfect it¹¹ until the day of Christ Jesus. 1:7 For¹² it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart,¹³ since both in my imprisonment¹⁴ and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners together with me in the grace of God.¹⁵ 1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 1:9 And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight 1:10 so that you can decide what is best, and so be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, 1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

1:12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters,¹⁶ that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel.¹⁷ 1:13 The results of this are that¹⁸ the whole imperial guard¹⁹ and everyone else knows²⁰ that I am in prison²¹ for the sake of Christ, 1:14 and that²² most of the brothers, having confidence in the Lord²³ because of my imprisonment, now more than ever²⁴ dare to speak the word²⁵ without fear.

1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 1:16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel. 1:17 The former proclaim Christ²⁶ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.²⁷ 1:18 What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Yes,²⁸ and I will continue to rejoice, 1:19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance²⁹ through your prayers and the support of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 1:20 My confident hope³⁰ is that I will in no way be ashamed³¹ but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 1:22 Now if I am to go on living in the body,³² this will mean productive work³³ for me; yet I don’t know what I prefer:³⁴ 1:23 I feel torn between the two,³⁵ because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, 1:24 but it is more vital for your sake that I remain³⁶ in the body.³⁷ 1:25 And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress³⁸ and joy in the faith,³⁹ 1:26 so that because of me you may swell with pride in Christ Jesus,⁴⁰ when I come back to you.⁴¹

1:27 Only conduct yourselves⁴² in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that⁴³ you are standing in one spirit, by contending together with one mind for the faith of the gospel,⁴⁴ 1:28 and by not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is⁴⁵ a sign of their⁴⁶ destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which⁴⁷ is from God. 1:29 For it has been granted to you⁴⁸ not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him, 1:30 since you are encountering⁴⁹ the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.