Ephesians 6 · Philippians 1–2

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise:

3“that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”

4You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ,

6not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men,

8knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

9You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace,

16above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

18with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

19Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News,

20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things.

22I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state and that he may comfort your hearts.

23Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.

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 fruits 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 palace 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 preach Christ even out of envy and strife, and some also out of good will.

16The former insincerely preach 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 in pretense 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 prayers 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 don’t know what I will choose.

23But I am hard pressed 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 boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again.

27Only let your way 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 therefore there is 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, didn’t 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 the point of 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 complaining and arguing,

15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle 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 didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

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

18In the same way, you also should be glad 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 that he has proved himself. 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 thought 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 people 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.