
{1}1{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to 
the saints in Philippi, with their bishops and deacons; 
to you all in Christ Jesus:
{R}_{I}2_{/}May grace and peace be yours from God, our Father, and Christ 
Jesus the Lord.
{R}_{I}3_{/}I give thanks to my God each time I remember you, {I}4_{/}and 
when I pray for you, I pray with joy. {I}5_{/}I cannot forget all you 
shared with me in the service of the Gospel, from the first day 
until now. [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Since God began such a good work in you, I am 
certain that he will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.
{I}7_{/}This is my hope for you, for I carry you all in my heart: 
whether I am in prison or defending and confirming the Gospel, you 
are with me and share the same grace.
{R}_{I}8_{/}God knows that I love you dearly with the love of Christ 
Jesus, {I}9_{/}and in my prayers I ask that your love may lead you 
each day to a deeper knowledge and clearer discernment, 
[=]_{I}10_{/}that you may have good criteria for everything. So you 
may be pure of heart and come blameless to the day of Christ, 
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}filled with the fruit of holiness which comes through 
Christ Jesus, for the glory and praise of God.

{N}CHRIST IS MY LIFE{/}

[\u0095]_{I}12_{/}I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has 
happened to me has served to advance the Gospel. {I}13_{/}Actually the 
whole praetorian guard, and even those outside the palace, know 
that I am in chains for Christ. {R}_{I}14_{/}And what is more, my 
condition as prisoner has encouraged most of our brothers who are 
now emboldened to proclaim the Word of God more openly and without 
fear.
{I}15_{/}Some, it is true, are moved by envy and want to challenge me, 
but others preach Christ with a good intention. {I}16_{/}These latter 
are moved by love and realize that I am here to defend the Gospel. 
{I}17_{/}The others announce Christ to challenge me. They do not act 
with a pure intention but think they are making my prison more 
unbearable. [=]_{I}18_{/}But in any case, whether they are sincere or 
showing off, Christ is proclaimed and because of this I rejoice 
and have no regrets.
{R}_{I}19_{/}I know that all this will be a grace for me because of your 
prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Christ. [=]_{I}20_{/}I am 
hopeful, even certain, that I shall not be ashamed. I feel as 
assured now, as before, that Christ will be exalted through my 
person, whether I live or die.
{R}_{I}21_{/}For to me, to live is Christ, and even death is profitable 
for me. [=]_{I}22_{/}But if I am to go on living, I shall be able to 
enjoy fruitful labor. Which shall I choose? [=]_{I}23_{/}So I feel 
torn between the two. I desire greatly to leave this life and to 
be with Christ, which will be better by far, {I}24_{/}but it is 
necessary for you that I remain in this life. {I}25_{/}And because I 
am convinced of this, I know that I will stay and remain with you 
for your progress and happiness in the faith. [=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}I will 
surely come to you again, and give you more reason for being proud 
of belonging to Christ Jesus.

{N}STAND FIRM IN FAITH{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}27_{/}Try, then, to adjust your lives according to the 
Gospel of Christ. May I see it when I come to you, and if I cannot 
come, may I at least hear that you stand firm in the same spirit, 
striving to uphold the faith of the Gospel with one heart. 
{R}_{I}28_{/}Do not be afraid of your opponents. This will be a sign that 
they are defeated and you are saved, that is saved by God. 
{I}29_{/}For through Christ you have been granted not only to believe 
in Christ but also to suffer for him. {I}30_{/}And you now share the 
same struggle that you saw I had and that I continue to have, as 
you know.

{N}IMITATE THE HUMILITY OF JESUS{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}If I may advise you in the name of Christ and if you 
can hear it as the voice of love; if we share the same spirit and 
are capable of mercy and compassion, then I beg of you {R}_{I}2_{/}make 
me very happy: have one love, one spirit, one feeling, [=]_{I}3_{/}do 
nothing through rivalry or vain conceit. On the contrary let each 
of you gently consider the others as more important than 
yourselves. {I}4_{/}Do not seek your own interest, but rather that of 
others. {R}_{I}5_{/}Let what was seen in Christ Jesus be seen in you:
[*]_[=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Though being divine in nature,
he did not claim in fact equality with God,
[=]_{I}7_{/}but emptied himself,
taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness,
and in his appearance found as a man.
[=]_{R}_{I}8_{/}He humbled himself by being obedient to death,
death on the cross.
[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}That is why God exalted him
and gave him the Name which outshines all names,
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend
in heaven, on earth and among the dead,
[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
[\u0095]_[=]_{I}12_{/}Therefore, my dearest friends, as you always obeyed 
me while I was with you, even more now that I am far from you, 
continue working out your salvation "with fear and trembling." 
{R}_{I}13_{/}It is God who makes you not only wish but also carry out 
what pleases him. {I}14_{/}Do everything without grumbling, 
[=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}so that without fault or blame, you will be children of 
God without reproach among a crooked and perverse generation. You 
are a light among them, like stars in the universe, {I}16_{/}holding 
to the Word of life. I shall feel proud of you on the day of 
Christ on seeing that my effort and labor have not been in vain. 
[=]_{I}17_{/}And if I have to pour out my blood as an offering to 
celebrate your faith, I rejoice and continue to share your joy; 
{I}18_{/}and you likewise should rejoice and share my joy.

{N}PAUL'S MESSENGERS{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}19_{/}The Lord Jesus lets me hope that I may soon send you 
Timothy, and have news of you. With this I will feel encouraged. 
{I}20_{/}For I have no one so concerned for you as he is. {R}_{I}21_{/}Most 
follow their own interest, not those of Christ Jesus. {I}22_{/}But 
Timothy has proved himself, as you know. Like a son at the side of 
his father, he has been with me at the service of the Gospel. 
{I}23_{/}Because of that I hope to send him to you as soon as I see 
how things work out for me. {I}24_{/}Nevertheless the Lord lets me 
think that I myself shall be coming soon.
[=]_{I}25_{/}I judged it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, 
who worked and fought at my side and whom you sent to help me in 
my great need. {I}26_{/}In fact, he missed you very much and was still 
more worried because you had heard of his sickness. {R}_{I}27_{/}He was 
indeed sick and almost died, but God took pity on him and on me, 
sparing me greater sorrow. {I}28_{/}And so I am eager to send him to 
you, so that on seeing him you will be glad and I will be at 
peace. [=]_{I}29_{/}Receive him then with joy, as is fitting in the 
Lord. Consider highly persons like him, {I}30_{/}who almost died for 
the work of Christ; he risked his life to serve me on your behalf 
when you could not help me.

{N}DO NOT TURN BACK TO THE JEWISH LAW{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}1_{/}Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.
It is not a burden for me to write again the same things, and for 
you it is safer. [=]_{I}2_{/}Beware of the dogs, beware of the bad 
workers; beware of the circumcised. [=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}We are the true 
circumcised people since we serve according to the Spirit of God, 
and our confidence is in Christ Jesus rather than in our merits.
{I}4_{/}I myself do not lack those human qualities in which people 
have confidence. If some of them seem to be accredited with such 
qualities, how much more am I! [=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}I was circumcised when 
eight days old. I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of 
Benjamin; I am a Hebrew, born of Hebrews. With regard to the Law, 
I am a Pharisee, {R}_{I}6_{/}and such was my zeal for the Law that I 
persecuted the Church. As for being righteous according to the 
Law, I was blameless.
{I}7_{/}But once I found Christ, all those things that I might have 
considered as profit, I reckoned as loss. {R}_{I}8_{/}Still more, 
everything seems to me as nothing compared with the knowledge of 
Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have let everything fall 
away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead I may gain 
Christ. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}May I be found in him, without merit or holiness 
of my own for having fulfilled the Law, but with the holiness 
which comes through faith in Christ, the holiness given by God 
which depends on faith in Christ Jesus.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}May I know him and experience the power of his 
resurrection and share in his sufferings and become like him in 
his death, {R}_{I}11_{/}and attain through this, God willing, the 
resurrection from the dead!
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}I do not believe I have already reached the goal, nor do 
I consider myself perfect, but I press on till I conquer Christ 
Jesus, as I have already been conquered by him. [=]_{I}13_{/}No, 
brothers and sisters, I do not claim to have claimed the prize 
yet. I say only this: forgetting what is behind me, I race forward 
and run towards the goal, {R}_{I}14_{/}my eyes on the prize to which God 
has called us from above in Christ Jesus. {R}_{I}15_{/}Let all of us who 
claim to be perfect have the same way of thinking, but if there is 
something on which you differ, God will make it clear to you. 
{I}16_{/}In the meantime, let us hold on to what we have conquered.
{I}17_{/}Unite in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and look at 
those who walk in our way of life. [=]_{I}18_{/}For many live as 
enemies of the cross of Christ. I have said it to you many times, 
and now I repeat it with tears: [=]_{I}19_{/}they are heading for 
ruin; their belly is their god and they feel proud of what should 
be their shame. They only think of earthly things.
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we 
await the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord. [=]_{I}21{/}He 
will transfigure our lowly body, making it like his own body, 
radiant in Glory, through the power which is his to submit 
everything to himself.

{N}AGREE WITH ONE ANOTHER AND BE HAPPY{/}

{1}4{/}

[\u0095]_{I}1_{/}Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long 
for, you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord. {I}2_{/}I beg 
Evodia and Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 
[=]_{I}3_{/}And you, Sycygus, my true companion, I beg you to help 
them. Do not forget that they have labored with me in the service 
of the Gospel, together with Clement and my other fellow-workers 
whose names are written in the Book of Life.
{I}4_{/}Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice 
[*]_[=]_{I}5_{/}and may everyone experience your gentle and 
understanding heart. The Lord is near: [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}do not be anxious 
about anything. In everything resort to prayer and supplication 
together with thanksgiving and bring your requests before God. 
[=]_{R}_{I}7_{/}Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
[=]_{I}8_{/}Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with 
whatever is truthful, holy, just, pure, lovely and noble. Be 
mindful of whatever deserves praise and admiration. {R}_{I}9_{/}Put into 
practice what you have learned from me, what I passed on to you, 
what you heard from me or saw me doing, and the God of peace will 
be with you.

{N}PAUL'S THANKFULNESS{/}

[\u0095]_{I}10_{/}I rejoice in the Lord because of your concern for me. You 
were indeed concerned for me before, but you had no opportunity to 
show it. [=]_{I}11_{/}I do not say this because of being in want; I 
have learned to manage with what I have. [=]_{I}12_{/}I know what it 
is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for 
both: to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. 
[=]_{I}13_{/}I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
{I}14_{/}However you did right in sharing my trials. [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}You 
Philippians, remember that in the beginning, when we first 
preached the Gospel, after I left Macedonia you alone opened for 
me a debit and credit account, [=]_{I}16_{/}and when I was in 
Thessalonica, twice you sent me what I needed.
{I}17_{/}It is not your gift that I value but rather the interest 
increasing in your own account. [=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}Now I have enough and 
more than enough with everything Epaphroditus brought me on your 
behalf and which I received as "fragrant offerings pleasing to 
God." {R}_{I}19_{/}God himself will provide you with everything you need, 
according to his riches, and show you his generosity in Christ 
Jesus. {R}_{I}20_{/}Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever: Amen.
{R}_{I}21_{/}Greet all who believe in Christ Jesus. The brothers and 
sisters with me greet you. [=]_{I}22_{/}All the believers here greet 
you, especially those from Caesar's household. {R}_{I}23_{/}The grace of 
Christ Jesus, the Lord, be with your spirit.

