Day 59 of 365

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ; To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:

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

³I thank my God whenever I remember you,

⁴always in every request of mine on behalf of you all making my requests with joy,

⁵for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now;

⁶being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

⁷It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because, both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.

⁸For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus.

⁹This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;

¹⁰so that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ;

¹¹being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹²Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;

¹³so that it became evident to the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest, that my bonds are in Christ;

¹⁴and that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.

¹⁵Some indeed proclaim Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

¹⁶The former insincerely proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, thinking that they add affliction to my chains;

¹⁷but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

¹⁸What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether out of false motives or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.

¹⁹For I know that this will turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

²⁰according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.

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

²²But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I do not make known what I will choose.

²³But I am in a dilemma between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

²⁴Yet, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.

²⁵Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,

²⁶that your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

²⁷Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

²⁸and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

²⁹Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,

³⁰having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear is in me.

¹If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,

²make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;

³doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

⁴each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

⁵Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

⁶who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

¹¹and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

¹⁴Do all things without murmurings and disputes,

¹⁵that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

¹⁶holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

¹⁷Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.

¹⁸In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me.

¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.

²⁰For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.

²¹For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

²³Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.

²⁴But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.

²⁵But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;

²⁶since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

²⁷For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.

²⁸I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

²⁹Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor,

³⁰because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

¹Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome, but for you it is safe.

²Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.

³For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;

⁴though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more:

⁵circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;

⁶concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

⁷However, what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.

⁸More than that, I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ

⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

¹⁰that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;

¹¹if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

¹³Brothers, I do not regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forward to the things which are ahead,

¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you.

¹⁶Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same continue on.

¹⁷Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.

¹⁸For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,

¹⁹whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.

²⁰For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

²¹who will change our lowly bodies into the likeness of his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself.

¹Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.

²Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.

³For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Lord.

⁴I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!

⁵You, Lord God of Hosts, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.

⁶They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.

⁷Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, "For," they say, "who hears us?"

⁸But you, Lord, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations.

⁹Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for God is my high tower.

¹⁰My God will go before me with his loving kindness. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.

¹¹Do not kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.

¹²For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.

¹³Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.

¹⁴At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city.

¹⁵They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren't satisfied.

¹⁶But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.

¹⁷To you, my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues; but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²In rebellion, a land has many rulers, but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.

³A needy man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no crops.

⁴Those who forsake the Law praise the wicked; but those who keep the Law contend with them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice; but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

⁶Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.

⁷Whoever keeps the Law is a wise son; but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his father.

⁸He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.

⁹He who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.

¹⁰Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will inherit good.

¹¹The rich man is wise in his own eyes; but the poor who has understanding sees through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory; but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his sins doesn't prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the man who always fears; but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.

¹⁶A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment. One who hates ill-gotten gain will have long days.

¹⁷A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.

¹⁸Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe; but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly.

¹⁹One who works his land will have an abundance of food; but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

²⁰A faithful man is rich with blessings; but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good; yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²²A stingy man hurries after riches, and doesn't know that poverty waits for him.

²³One who rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

²⁴Whoever robs his father or his mother, and says, "It's not wrong." He is a partner with a destroyer.

²⁵One who is greedy stirs up strife; but one who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

²⁶One who trusts in himself is a fool; but one who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

²⁷One who gives to the poor has no lack; but one who closes his eyes will have many curses.

²⁸When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous thrive.