1Paul and Timothy, servants[1] of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[2] and deacons:[3] (أع 20:28; 2كو 1:1; كو 1:2; 1تي 3:8; 1تي 3:12)2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (رو 1:7; 1كو 1:3)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, (رو 1:8; رو 1:9; أف 1:16; 2تي 1:3)4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (أع 16:12; في 2:12; في 4:15)6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (مز 57:2; مز 138:8; 1كو 1:8; 1تس 1:3; 1تس 5:24)7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[4] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. (أع 20:23; أع 26:29; 2كو 7:3; أف 3:1; في 1:16; في 4:14; كو 4:18; 2تي 2:9; فل 1:10; فل 1:13)8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. (رو 1:9; رو 1:11; رو 9:1; رو 15:23; في 4:1; 1تس 3:6; 2تي 1:4)9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, (كو 1:9; كو 3:10; 1تس 3:12; 2تس 1:3; فل 1:6)10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, (أع 24:16; في 1:6; 1تس 3:13; 1تس 5:23)11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (يو 15:4; أف 1:12; أف 1:14; كو 1:6; كو 1:10; يع 3:18)
The Advance of the Gospel
12I want you to know, brothers,[5] that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, (في 1:25; 1تي 4:15)13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard[6] and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. (لو 21:13; أع 28:30; في 1:7; 2تي 2:9)14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word[7] without fear. (أع 4:31)15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. (2كو 11:13)16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. (1كو 9:17; في 1:7)17The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. (في 2:3; يع 3:14)
To Live Is Christ
18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,19for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, (أع 16:7; 2كو 1:11; غل 3:5)20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. (يؤ 2:27; أع 4:13; رو 5:5; رو 14:8; 1كو 6:20; 2تي 2:15)21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (غل 2:20)22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.23I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (يو 12:26; 2كو 5:8; 2تي 4:6)24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, (أع 20:25; رو 15:13; في 1:12; في 2:24)26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (2كو 1:14)27Only let your manner of life be worthy[8] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, (1كو 1:10; 1كو 16:13; أف 4:1; في 2:2; في 3:20; يه 1:3)28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. (أع 14:22; 2تس 1:5)29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, (مت 5:12; في 1:28)30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (أع 16:19; كو 1:29; كو 2:1; 1تس 2:2; 1تي 6:12; 2تي 4:7; عب 10:32)