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- Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
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- Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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- I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you,
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- always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy,
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- for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now;
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- being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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- even as it is right for me to be thus minded on behalf of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as, both in my bonds and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers with me of grace.
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- For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.
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- And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;
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- so that ye may approve the things that are excellent;
that ye may be sincere and void of offence unto the day of Christ;
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- being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
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- Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the gospel;
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- so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest;
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- and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
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- Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife;
and some also of good will:
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- the one [do it] of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;
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- but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.
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- What then?
only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed;
and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
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- For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
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- according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.
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- For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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- But if to live in the flesh, — [if] this shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not.
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- But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ;
for it is very far better:
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- yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.
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- And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith;
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- that your glorying may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.
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- Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you and be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel;
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- and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God;
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- because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf:
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- having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
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