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Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: |
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Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. |
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I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, |
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Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, |
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For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; |
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Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: |
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Even as it is meet for me to think this 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 of my grace. |
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For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. |
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And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; |
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That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; |
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Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. |
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But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; |
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So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; |
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And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word 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 preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: |
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But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. |
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What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. |
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For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, |
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According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be 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 I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. |
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For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: |
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Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. |
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And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; |
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That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. |
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Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; |
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And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. |
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For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; |
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Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. |