New American Standard Bible 1995

New Living Translation

1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

1Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?

2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

3Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

5You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

6Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.

7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

7Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

8he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

9Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,

10so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

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

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

11and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Shine Brightly for Christ

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

12Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

13for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

13For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

14Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

14Do everything without complaining and arguing,

15so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

15so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

16holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

16Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

17But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.

18You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

18Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy. Paul Commends Timothy

19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.

19If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.

20For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.

20I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.

21For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

21All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ.

22But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.

22But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News.

23Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me;

23I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here.

24and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly.

24And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon. Paul Commends Epaphroditus

25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;

25Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.

26because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

26I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill.

27For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.

27And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

28Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.

28So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you.

29Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;

29Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve.

30because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

30For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.