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1Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2complete my joy, so that you are in agreement, having the same love, united in spirit, having one purpose.[#Literally “you think the same thing; #Literally “thinking the one thing”]
3Do nothing according to selfish ambition or according to empty conceit, but in humility considering one another better than yourselves,
4each of you not looking out for your own interests, but also each of you for the interests of others.[#Some manuscripts have “each one of you”; #Literally “the things of yourselves”; #Literally “the things”]
5Think this in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,[#Or “among”]
6who, existing in the form of God,
7but emptied himself
And being found in appearance like a man,
8he humbled himself
9Therefore also God exalted him
10so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
11and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
12Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God.
14Do all things without grumbling and disputing,
15in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world,[#Or “blameless”; #Or possibly “in the universe”]
16holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.[#Or “for a cause of boasting”]
17But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you.
18And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.
19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged when I know your circumstances.[#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as temporal; #Literally “the things concerning you”]
20For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely be concerned about your circumstances.[#Literally “the things concerning you”]
21For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.[#Literally “the things of themselves”]
22But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel.
23Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see my circumstances.[#Literally “the things concerning me”]
24And I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will arrive shortly also.
25But I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger and servant of my need,[#*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation]
26because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27For indeed he was sick, coming near to death, but God had mercy on him and not on him only, but also on me, so that I would not have grief upon grief.
28Therefore I am sending him with special urgency, in order that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious.[#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“see”) which is understood as temporal]
29Therefore welcome him in the Lord with all joy, and consider such people highly honored,
30because on account of the work of Christ he came near to the point of death, risking his life in order that he might make up for your inability to serve me.[#Literally “he might fill up your lack of service to me”]