1 Paul and Timotheus, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with overseers and servants: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! 3 I give thanks to my God on all the remembrance of you, 4 always, in every supplication of mine for you all, with joy making the supplication, 5 for your contribution to the good news from the first day until now, 6 having been confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will complete [it] until [the] day of Jesus Christ, 7 according as it is righteous for me to think this in behalf of you all, because of my having you in the heart, both in my bonds, and [in] the defense and confirmation of the good news, all of you being fellow-partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with [the] yearnings of Jesus Christ, 9 and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge, and all discernment, 10 for your proving the things that differ, that you may be pure and offenseless—to [the] Day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruit of righteousness, that [is] through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 12 And I intend you to know, brothers, that the things concerning me, rather have come to an advancement of the good news, 13 so that my bonds have become evident in Christ in the whole Praetorium, and to all the other places, 14 and the greater part of the brothers in the LORD, having confidence by my bonds, are more abundantly bold to fearlessly speak the word. 15 Certain, indeed, even through envy and contention, and certain also through goodwill, preach the Christ; 16 one, indeed, of rivalry proclaims the Christ, not purely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds, 17 and the other out of love, having known that I am set for defense of the good news: 18 what then? In every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed—and I rejoice in this, indeed, and will rejoice. 19 For I have known that this will turn out to me for salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will be ashamed in nothing, and in all freedom, as always, also Christ will now be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death, 21 for to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain. 22 And if to live in the flesh [is] to me a fruit of work, then what will I choose? I do not know; 23 for I am pressed by the two, having the desire to depart, and to be with Christ, for it is far better, 24 and to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account, 25 and being persuaded of this, I have known that I will remain and continue with you all, to your advancement and joy of the faith, 26 that your boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my coming again to you. 27 Only conduct yourselves worthily of the good news of the Christ, that, whether having come and seen you, whether being absent I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one soul, striving together for the faith of the good news, 28 and not be terrified in anything by those opposing, which is indeed a token of destruction to them, and to you of salvation, and that from God; 29 because to you it was granted, on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on behalf of Him; 30 having the same conflict, such as you saw in me, and now hear of in me.
Philippians · Literal Standard Version
Philippians 1 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
Places
Philippi
A Roman colony on the Via Egnatia and the site of Paul's first European converts — a beloved church to which he later wrote from prison.
Cited in the guide: Acts 16:12; Acts 16:25; Philippians 1:1
Cross references (30)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 16:12–15; Romans 1:1; Colossians 1:1–2; Romans 1:7
- 2 Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 1:2
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3; Philemon 4–5; 2 Timothy 1:3; Ephesians 1:15–16
- 4 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Romans 1:9; 2 John 4; Philippians 2:2; Ephesians 1:14–23
- 5 Philippians 4:14–15; Hebrews 3:14; Philippians 1:7; Philemon 17; 2 Corinthians 8:1
- 6 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 4:12; Hebrews 13:20–21; Psalm 138:8
- 7 2 Corinthians 7:3; Philippians 1:5; Colossians 4:18; 2 Timothy 2:9; Philippians 4:14
- 8 Romans 1:9; Philippians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Romans 9:1
- 9 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Colossians 1:9; Philemon 6; 2 Peter 1:5–6; Colossians 3:10
- 10 Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 2:18; Ephesians 5:10
- 11 Hebrews 12:11; John 15:8; John 15:4–5; Galatians 5:22–23; Colossians 1:10
- 12 2 Timothy 2:9; Romans 8:28; Acts 11:19–21; Romans 8:37; Acts 22:1–30
- 13 2 Timothy 2:9; Ephesians 3:1; Philippians 1:7; Philippians 4:22; Ephesians 6:20
- 14 Ephesians 6:19–20; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Luke 1:74; Colossians 4:4; Philippians 1:7
- 15 Romans 16:17–18; Philippians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Peter 5:2–4; 2 Corinthians 11:13
- 16 2 Corinthians 4:1–2; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Philippians 1:10; Philippians 1:12; Psalm 69:26
- 17 Philippians 2:3; 2 Timothy 1:11–12; 1 Corinthians 9:16–17; 2 Timothy 4:6–7; Galatians 2:7–8
- 18 Luke 9:50; Mark 9:38–40; 1 Corinthians 15:11; Philippians 1:14–17; 1 Corinthians 14:15
- 19 Romans 8:28; Acts 16:7; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:9
- 20 1 Peter 4:16; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Isaiah 54:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 6:19–20
- 21 Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6
- 22 1 Peter 4:2; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 10:3; Psalm 71:18
- 23 2 Corinthians 5:8; Psalm 17:15; Revelation 14:13; Luke 23:43; John 17:24
- 24 Philippians 1:25–26; Philippians 1:22; John 16:7; Acts 20:29–31
- 25 Philippians 2:24; 2 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 4:11–13; Romans 15:13; Romans 5:2
- 26 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:12; Philippians 4:4; Philippians 3:3; John 16:24
- 27 Ephesians 4:1; 1 Corinthians 16:13–14; 2 Peter 3:14; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:1–2
- 28 2 Timothy 1:7–8; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–6; Matthew 10:28; Isaiah 51:7; 2 Timothy 2:11–12
- 29 James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:13; Acts 5:41; Romans 5:3; Acts 14:22
- 30 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Acts 16:19–40; 2 Timothy 4:7; Romans 8:35–37; Hebrews 12:4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Here, as writing to those of equal honor, he does not set down his rank of Teacher, but another, and that a great one. And what is that? He calls himself a "servant," and not an Apostle.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
But the apostle himself also, being one who had been formed in a womb, and had issued thence, wrote to us, and confessed in his Epistle to the Philippians that "to live in the flesh was the fruit of [his] work;" thus expressing himself.
The apostle "desires to depart, and to be with Christ." And, "My soul desired to long for Thy judgments;" or if it is more appropriate to say, "My soul longed to desire Thy judgments." And, "The desire of wisdom bringeth to a kingdom." Yet there has always obtained the usage of understanding desire and concupiscence in a bad sense if …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For no child, be he never so virtuous, is so desirable and lovely to a father, as the having our portion in those good things, and "to depart and be with Christ." No doubt hell, and that punishment, is a thing not to be borne.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
He is called also the Spirit of Christ, as it is written, Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify; and again, Through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)