REVISED TRANSLATION
OF THE
I NW “» —~>—_ Pau. and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. Grace δέ unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God on all my remembrance of you, always, in every supplication of mine for you all, presenting the
supplication with joy, for your fellowship with regard to
the gospel from the first day until now ; being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus;
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 are all partakers with me of my grace. For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the tender heart of Christ Jesus.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so
that ye may try the things which differ, that ye may be
pure and free from stumbling against the day of Christ,
II being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which 15
through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
12 But I would have you know, brethren, that my matters have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of
13 the gospel ; so that in all the prætorium, and to all the
14 rest, my bonds are become manifest as in Christ, and that the more part of the brethren, being confident in the Lord through my bonds, are more exceedingly bold
15 to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even for envy and strife, but some also for good
16 will. The* one arty of love, knowing that I am set
for the defence of the gospel, but the other of factiousness proclaim Christ, not sincerely, thinking to raise up
galling to my bonds. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed ; and therein I rejoice, yea, and shall re-
19 joice; for I know that this shall issue to me unto salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the
20 Spirit of Jesus Christ,—according to my earnest longing and hope that in nothing I shall be put to shame, but that in all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21,22 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if — I live in the flesh, this is to me fruit of labour ; and what
23 I shall choose I wot not; but I am in a strait betwixt the two, having my desire toward departing and being
24 with Christ, for it is better by very far; but to abide in
25 the flesh is more needful on your account. And, being persuaded of this, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy in your
26 faith ; that your matter of glorying’ may abound in Christ Jesus through me, by my presence with you again.
22 Only, live as becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or be absent, I may hear I “I οο Ι 1
In the oldest manuscripts the 16th and 17th verses are found in the reverse order from that followed in our Authorized Version.
of your affairs, that ye are standing fast in one spirit, with one soul striving together for the faith of the
gospel, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries ; the which is to them a-token of perdition, but of your
salvation, and this of God: for unto you it hath been given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on
Him, but also to suffer in His behalf, having the same conflict as ye saw in me, and now hear of in me.
If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
tender-heartedness and compassions, fill ye up my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, with
united souls minding the one thing ; doing nothing according to factiousness or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind esteeming each other better than yourselves ;
looking not each on your own things, but each also on
5 the things of others. For have that mind in you, which
6 aon 9 Ιο II 12 13 was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not a prize to be on equality with God,
but emptied Himself, taking upon Him the form of a
servant, being made in the likeness of men ; and, being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea the death of the cross;
wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave Him
a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of ¢#things in heaven, and
things on earth, and ¢things under the earth, and shat every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye always obeyed, so, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling ; for it is God which worketh in you both to
14 will and to work, of His good pleasure. Do all things
15 without murmurings and disputings, that ye may ap-
prove yourselves blameless and guileless, children of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the
world, holding forth the word of life ; that I may have matter of glorying /aid up for me against the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain, neither labour in vain.
Yea, and if, besides the sacrifice and service of your faith, I be poured forth, I joy, and congratulate you all ;
and for the same cause do ye also joy, and congratulate me.
But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort,
when I know your state. For I have no man like
minded, who will truly care for your state. For all of them seek their own, not the things which are Jesus
Christ’s. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, he served with me for the furtherance
of the gospel. Him, therefore, I hope to send imme
diately on my seeing how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.
But I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow-labourer, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and minister to my
need ; seeing that he was longing after you all, and full of heaviness because ye had heard that he had been
sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I should not have sorrow upon sorrow.
I have been, therefore, the more earnest to send him, that, seeing him, ye may rejoice again, and that I my
self may be the less sorrowful. Receive him, therefore, in the Lord with all gladness ; and hold such in reputa
tion; because for the work of Christ he came nigh unto death, having hazarded his life to supply your lack in your service toward me.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me és not irksome, and for you is safe.
Beware of the dogs; beware of the evil workers;
beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh ;—though I myself might have confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinketh that he might
put confidence in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the
law, a Pharisee; as touching zeal, persecuting the church ; as touching the righteousness which is in the
law, having approved myself blameless. But what things were gains to me, those for Christ I have counted
loss. Yea, doubtless, and I s¢i/7 count them all to be loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all, and count them to be dung, that I may win Christ,
and be found in Him, not having mine own mrighteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God,
resting on faith ; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being fashioned after the likeness of His death,—if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the
dead. Not that I have already taken hold, either am already perfected ; but I follow after, if that I may even lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by
Christ. Brethren, I count not myself to have laid hold; but one thing,—forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us, therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded ; and, if in anything ye are otherwise minded,
this also God shall reveal unto you. Only, whereto we have attained, by the same let us walk.
Be followers together of me, brethren, and mark them
which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping,—the enemies of the cross of Christ ;
whose end is destruction, whose god 7s their belly, and their glory in their shame, who mind the earthly things.
For our citizenship is in the heavens, from whence also
we look for the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour; who shall change the body of our humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto the body of His glory, according to the working of His power even to subdue all things
unto Himself. Wherefore, my brethren, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
I beseech Euodia, and I beseech Syntyche, to be of
the same mind in the Lord. Yea, I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help them, seeing that they laboured with me in the gospel, along with Clement also, and my other fellow-workers, whose names ave in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand. Be anxious about nothing; but in © everything by your prayer and your supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto
God: and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things ave seemly, whatsoever things ave just, whatsoever things ave pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things ave of good report ; whatever virtue there is, and whatever praise ; think on these things,— which also ye learned and received, and heard and saw in me. These things do, and the God of peace shall be with you.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have flourished again as to your care for me; for which ye were also careful, but lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have
learned, in what state I am, ¢therein to be content. I know both ow to be abased,—I know also how to abound ; in all and everything I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
want. I can do all things in Him which strengtheneth me.
Notwithstanding, ye did well that ye had fellowship
with my affliction. And ye yourselves also know, Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me as touching an account of giving and receiving,
but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once
and again unto my need. Not that I seek your gift,— but I seek the fruit which aboundeth to your account.
But I have all things, and abound; I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice ac
ceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall fully supply all your need, according to His riches in glory,
in Christ Jesus. Now unto our God and Father de the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which
are with me salute you. All the saints salute you, but especially they that are of Cæsar’s household.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
