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] (徒20:28; 林后1:1; 西1:2; 提前3:8; 提前3:12)2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (羅1:7; 林前1:3)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, (羅1:8; 羅1:9; 弗1:16; 提后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. (徒16:12; 腓2:12; 腓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. (诗57:2; 诗138:8; 林前1:8; 帖前1:3; 帖前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. (徒20:23; 徒26:29; 林后7:3; 弗3:1; 腓1:16; 腓4:14; 西4:18; 提后2:9; 门1:10; 门1:13)8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. (羅1:9; 羅1:11; 羅9:1; 羅15:23; 腓4:1; 帖前3:6; 提后1:4)9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, (西1:9; 西3:10; 帖前3:12; 帖后1:3; 门1:6)10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, (徒24:16; 腓1:6; 帖前3:13; 帖前5:23)11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (约15:4; 弗1:12; 弗1:14; 西1:6; 西1:10; 雅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, (腓1:25; 提前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. (路21:13; 徒28:30; 腓1:7; 提后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. (徒4:31)15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. (林后11:13)16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. (林前9:17; 腓1:7)17The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. (腓2:3; 雅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, (徒16:7; 林后1:11; 加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. (珥2:27; 徒4:13; 羅5:5; 羅14:8; 林前6:20; 提后2:15)21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (加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. (约12:26; 林后5:8; 提后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, (徒20:25; 羅15:13; 腓1:12; 腓2:24)26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (林后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, (林前1:10; 林前16:13; 弗4:1; 腓2:2; 腓3:20; 犹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. (徒14:22; 帖后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, (太5:12; 腓1:28)30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (徒16:19; 西1:29; 西2:1; 帖前2:2; 提前6:12; 提后4:7; 來10:32)