1 If therefore there is any exhortation in
Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship
of the Spirit, if any tender mercies
and compassion,
2 make my joy full by being like-minded,
having the same love, being of one accord,
of one mind;
3 doing nothing through rivalry or
through conceit, but in humility, each
counting others better than himself;
4 each of you not just looking to his own
things, but each of you also to the things of
others.
5 Have this in your mind, which was also
in Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t
consider equality with God a thing to be
grasped,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant, being made in the likeness of
men.
8 And being found in human form, he
humbled himself, becoming obedient to
the point of death, yes, the death of the
cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him,
and gave to him the name which is above
every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, those on
earth, and those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
12 So 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.
13 For it is God who works in you both to
will and to work for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and
arguing,
15 that you may become blameless and
harmless, children of God without defect
in the middle of a crooked and perverse
generation, amongst whom you are seen
as lights in the world,
16 holding up the word of life, that I
may have something to boast in the day of
Christ that I didn’t run in vain nor labour
in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the
sacrifice and service of your faith, I am
glad and rejoice with you all.
18 In the same way, you also should be
glad and rejoice with me.
19 But 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.
20 For I have no one else like-minded,
who will truly care about you.
21 For they all seek their own, not the
things of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know that he has proved himself.
As a child serves a father, so he served
with me in furtherance of the Good News.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once,
as soon as I see how it will go with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also
will come shortly.
25 But I thought it necessary to send
to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow
worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle
and servant of my need,
26 since he longed for you all, and was
very troubled because you had heard that
he was sick.
27 For 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.
28 I have sent him therefore the more
diligently, that when you see him again,
you may rejoice, and that I may be the less
sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with
all joy, and hold such people in honour,
30 because for the work of Christ he came
near to death, risking his life to supply that
which was lacking in your service towards
me.
