Philippians 1

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Begin Abide·

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Begin Abide·

I thank my God every time I remember you. Begin Abide·

In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, Begin Abide·

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, Begin Abide·

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. Begin Abide·

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me. Begin Abide·

God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. Begin Abide·

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, Begin Abide·

so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, Begin Abide·

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Begin Abide·

Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. Begin Abide·

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Begin Abide·

And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear. Begin Abide·

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. Begin Abide·

The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. Begin Abide·

The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains. Begin Abide·

What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, Begin Abide·

because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance. Begin Abide·

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. Begin Abide·

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Begin Abide·

But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. Begin Abide·

I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. Begin Abide·

But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Begin Abide·

Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, Begin Abide·

so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me. Begin Abide·

Nevertheless, 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 together as one for the faith of the gospel, Begin Abide·

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God. Begin Abide·

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, Begin Abide·

since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Begin Abide·