Exhortation to righteousness -- Paul's devotedness to Christ -- Desire to be with Christ -- Duty to suffer for Christ.

¹⁾Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons;

²⁾Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

³⁾I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

⁴⁾Always in every prayer of mine, for the steadfastness of you all, making request with joy,

⁵⁾For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

⁶⁾Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;

⁷⁾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 defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

⁸⁾For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

⁹⁾And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

¹⁰⁾That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ;

¹¹⁾Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

¹²⁾But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

¹³⁾So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

¹⁴⁾And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

¹⁵⁾Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of goodwill;

¹⁶⁾The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds;

¹⁷⁾But the other of love knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.

¹⁸⁾What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

¹⁹⁾For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

²⁰⁾According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

²¹⁾But if I live in the flesh, ye are the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose I know not.

²²⁾For me to live, is to do the will of Christ; and to die, is my gain.

²³⁾Now I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better;

²⁴⁾Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

²⁵⁾And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

²⁶⁾That your rejoicing with me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ, for my coming to you again.

²⁷⁾Therefore let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

²⁸⁾And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, who reject the gospel, which bringeth on them destruction; but you who receive the gospel, salvation; and that of God.

²⁹⁾For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

³⁰⁾Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now know to be in me.