Greeting
1 Paul, an aapostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in bEphesus, and are cfaithful1 in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 dBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the eheavenly places, 4 feven as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be gholy and blameless before him. In love 5 he hpredestined us2 for iadoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the jpurpose of his will, 6 kto the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the lBeloved. 7 In him we have mredemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our ntrespasses, according to the oriches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in pall wisdom and insight 9 making known3 to us the qmystery of his will, according to his purpose, which rhe set forth in Christ4 10 as a plan for the sfullness of time, tto unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
11 In him we have obtained an uinheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you vheard the wword of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were xsealed with ythe promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the zguarantee5 of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it,6 to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, because aI have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love7 toward all the saints, 16 bI do cnot cease to give thanks for you, dremembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you ethe Spirit of wisdom and of frevelation in the gknowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts henlightened, that you may know what is ithe hope to which jhe has called you, what are the kriches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, laccording to the working of his great mmight 20 that he worked in Christ when nhe raised him from the dead and oseated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 pfar qabove all rule and authority and power and dominion, and rabove every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he sput tall things under his feet and gave him as uhead over all things to the church, 23 which is his vbody, the wfullness of him who xfills all in all.
Greeting
1 Paul and Timothy, servants1 of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers2 and deacons:3
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 aI thank my God in all my bremembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with cjoy, 5 because of dyour partnership in the gospel efrom the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that fhe who began a good work in you gwill bring it to completion at the hday of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you iin my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,4 both in my jimprisonment and in the kdefense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For lGod is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that myour love may abound more and more, with nknowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may oapprove what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the pfruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, qto the glory and praise of God.
The Advance of the Gospel
12 I want you to know, brothers,5 that what has happened to me rhas really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known sthroughout the whole imperial guard6 and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word7 without fear.
15 tSome indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? uOnly that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that vthrough your prayers and the help of the wSpirit of Jesus Christ xthis will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and yhope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full zcourage now as always Christ will be ahonored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 bFor to me to live is Christ, and to die is cgain. 22 dIf I am to live in the flesh, that means efruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. fMy desire is to gdepart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 hConvinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your iprogress and joy in the faith, 26 so that jin me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only klet your manner of life be worthy8 of the gospel of Christ, so that lwhether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are mstanding firm in one spirit, nwith one mind ostriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a pclear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For qit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict rthat you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
