Montgomery - Philippians - 1

1:1  Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, and to the elders and deacons.

1:2  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:3  Upon every remembrance of you I am ever thanking my God for you all;

1:4  in every petition of mine in your behalf I am offering my prayer with joy for your fellowship in forwarding the gospel,

1:5  from the first day you heard it until now.

1:6  Of this I am fully persuaded, that He who has begun a good work in you will go on completing it until the day of Jesus Christ.

1:7  It is but just that I should be thus mindful of you all, because I have you in my heart, and because in these fetters of mine and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel you are all my fellow partners in the privilege.

1:8  God is my witness how I yearn for you all in the tenderness of Christ Jesus.

1:9  And it is my prayer that your love may abound yet more and more in intelligence and insight

1:10  for testing things that differ, so that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

1:11  being filled with the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

1:12  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has turned out rather to help than to the hindrance of the gospel.

1:13  Throughout the whole Praetorian guard and among all the others it has become plain that these chains of mine are for the sake of Christ;

1:14  and most of the brothers in the Lord, made confident in the Lord through my imprisonment, are much emboldened to speak God’s message with free and fearless confidence.

1:15  Some indeed are preaching Christ out of envy and contentiousness, but others from good-will.

1:16  but the former preach Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, because they think they are adding bitterness to my bonds.

1:17  These latter out of their love, because they know that I am set here for the defense of the gospel;

1:18  What of it? In any case, whether in pretence or in honest truth, Christ is still preached, and in that I am rejoicing, yes, and will rejoice.

1:19  For I know that these things will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and a rich supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

1:20  So it is my keen expectation and hope that I shall never feel ashamed, but that with fearless courage, now as hither to, Christ may be magnified in my body, whether by my life or by my death.

1:21  For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

1:22  But now, if life in the flesh, if this be the fruit of my toil - what to choose I do not know,

1:23  but am in a quandary between the two. I am perplexed. I have a strong desire to break camp and to be with Christ, which is far better;

1:24  but for your sakes it is more necessary that I should still live on in the body.

1:25  And because I am convinced of this, I know that I shall live, and go on working side by side with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

1:26  so that you may find me fresh cause of exultation in Christ Jesus, because of my presence among you once more.

1:27  Only do lead lives worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come to see you or hear reports concerning you in my absence, I may know that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul, enlisted in a common struggle for the faith of the gospel,

1:28  and in no way terrorized by its enemies. For you fearlessness is a clear indication of coming ruin for them, but of salvation for you at the hands of God.

1:29  For it has been granted you in Christ’s behalf, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,

1:30  while you wage the same conflict which you once saw in me, and now hear that I maintain.