Philippians 1
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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers [1] and deacons:
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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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I thank my God every time I remember you.
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In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
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because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
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being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
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It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.
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God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
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And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
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so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
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filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.
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Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.
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As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard [2] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
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Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.
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It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
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The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
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The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. [3]
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But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
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for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. [4]
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I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
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For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
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I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
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but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
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Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,
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so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
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Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel
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without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God.
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For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,
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since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
  1. [1] Traditionally bishops
  2. [13] Or whole palace
  3. [16,17] Some late manuscripts have verses 16 and 17 in reverse order.
  4. [19] Or salvation