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Philippians 1

1Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and servants of the assembly: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3I thank my God whenever I remember you, 4always making my prayer with joy in every prayer of mine for all of you, 5because of your partnership in the good news from the first day until now, 6confident of this very thing: that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Christ Jesus. 7It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, since all of you share in grace with me, both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the good news. 8For God is my witness how I long for all of you with the deep affection of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10so that you may recognize what matters most and be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to God's glory and praise.

12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the good news, 13so that it has become clear throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my chains are for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having gained confidence in the Lord through my chains, dare all the more to speak the word without fear. 15Some indeed proclaim Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the good news; 17the former announce Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking they will stir up affliction for me in my chains. 18What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is announced, and in this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19for I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20according to my eager expectation and hope that I will be put to shame in nothing, but that with all boldness, as always, so now too, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22But if I am to live in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me. And which I will choose I do not know. 23I am pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25And confident of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that your ground for boasting in Christ Jesus may abound through me when I am present with you again.

27Only conduct your lives as citizens in a manner worthy of the good news of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear about you that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together with one soul for the faith of the good news, 28and are not frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign to them of destruction, but of your salvation, and this is from God. 29For it has been graciously granted to you, for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him, 30having the same struggle that you saw in me and now hear that I still have.

Translation notes 8

1:1 — Slaves, holy ones, and service. “Slaves” retains the language of belonging to a master. “Holy ones,” traditionally “saints,” addresses the whole community. “Servants of the assembly” renders the plural traditionally called “deacons”; its pairing with “overseers” indicates a recognized role. “Of the assembly” is supplied to make that role clear.

1:3–8 — Remembering and affection. “Whenever I remember you” can also be understood as “because of all your remembrance of me,” especially in light of their support. At 1:7, “you hold me in your heart” is grammatically possible instead of “I hold you in my heart.” The sequence of Paul's thanks and longing favors the readings printed here. “Deep affection” renders the conventional language of the inward organs as the seat of feeling.

1:6, 9–11 — Completion and discernment. “You” is plural: God's work concerns the community as well as its members. “The day of Christ” is the anticipated day of his coming and judgment. “Recognize what matters most” can also be expressed as “approve what is excellent”; the expression involves distinguishing and testing what is best.

1:12–14 — Brothers and imprisonment. “Brothers” is family language addressing the believing community, including women. “Imperial guard” is the preferred sense of a term that can also name a governor's headquarters. The verse does not specify the city of imprisonment. At 1:14, some Greek texts add “of God” after “the word.”

1:16–17 — Verse order. Some Greek texts reverse the order of the loving and self-seeking preachers. This translation follows the base's order: love in verse 16, selfish ambition in verse 17.

1:19–20 — Salvation and the Spirit. “Salvation” may encompass deliverance or vindication, ultimately before God; release from prison is a possible aspect, but Paul explicitly allows for death in verse 20. “Provision of the Spirit” can mean either the Spirit being supplied or the help the Spirit supplies. The English leaves that relationship open.

1:21–26 — Life and death. “Flesh” here means embodied life, not moral wrongdoing. “Depart” refers to death without specifying a travel route or timetable. “I do not know” at 1:22 could instead mean “I do not make known”; the surrounding tension favors uncertainty about the choice. Paul's confidence about remaining is retained alongside that tension.

1:27–30 — Citizens and shared struggle. The verb for conducting one's life carries civic associations, echoed by “citizenship” at 3:20. “One soul” expresses shared purpose; “one spirit” may refer to their united disposition or to the Holy Spirit. Their steadfastness in opposition is the sign described in verse 28. The statement that suffering has been granted is retained without explaining away its difficulty.