An Original Translation of the Book of

Philippians
by
Josh James
© 2011, Josh James. All Rights Reserved.
From Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus the Messiah,

To all of the saints in Jesus the Messiah who live in Philippi, as well as the
overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and our
Master, Jesus the Messiah.

I thank my God every time I remember you, and I always ask in

each of my prayers about all of you. I offer that prayer joyfully,
because of your close relationship with the Message from the first day
until now. I am convinced of this: the one who began that good
work in you will complete it by the day of Jesus the Messiah. It is
right for me to think about all of you like this. You see, I hold you in
my heart, both in my imprisonment and in my defense and
confirmation of the Message, since all of you are fellow partakers of
grace. God is my witness, as I long for you with the compassion of
Jesus the Messiah. I pray this also: that your love may still overflow
more and more in knowledge and all understanding, so that you may
discover what is essential—that you may be pure and guiltless in the
day of the Messiah and full of the fruit of righteousness that comes
through Jesus the Messiah for God’s glory and praise.
However, brothers, I want you to know that the things that have
happened to me have actually happened for the progress of the
Message, so that my imprisonment because of the Messiah is visible
to the whole Praetorian Guard and to all of the rest. Consequently,
many of the brothers in the Master have been convinced by my
imprisonment to have such abundant courage that they speak the
word fearlessly.
Granted, there are some who preach the Messiah because of envy
and strife, and others who do so because of good intentions. These
latter ones do it out of love, because they know that I have been
appointed to give a defense of the Message. However, those who
proclaim the Messiah because of selfishness do so insincerely,
because they expect to arouse affliction for my imprisonment. What
does it matter? In either case, whether it is done for appearances’
sake or for the truth, the Messiah is proclaimed! I rejoice in this now,
but I will continue to rejoice, because I know that this will lead to my
salvation through your prayers and the assistance of the Spirit of
Jesus the Messiah. I know this because of my eager expectation and
hope, because I will not ashamed by anything. On the contrary, with
all boldness I know even now (as I always have), the Messiah will be
glorified in my body, whether by life or death. As far as I am
concerned, living is for the Messiah, and dying is for my profit. You
see, As far as I am concerned, living in the body would mean gain
from labor, and I do not know which I would choose! I am
distressed about choosing between the two. I have the desire to
return and be with the Messiah, because it would be much better by
far. However, it would be more necessary to remain in the body
because of you. So since I have become convinced of this, I know
that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your
progress, joy, and faith. Then, what you are proud of concerning me
would overflow in Jesus the Messiah because of my return to you.
Just live a life that is worthy of the Messiah’s Message. That
way, whether I come and see you or I am absent and hear of your
experiences, you may stand firm in one spirit by striving together
with one soul for faithfulness to the Message. Do not be intimidated
by your opponents about anything. This is a sign of destruction for
them, but one of salvation for you. This sign is from God, because
you have been granted to do two things on behalf the Messiah—not
only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, engaging in the
same struggle that you saw going on with me earlier, which you hear
is with me even now.
So, if there is any comfort in the Messiah, any consolation offered
by love, any partnership in the Spirit, or any affection or sympathy,
complete my joy—that you have the same mindset, the same love,
unity in spirit, and your minds set on a single goal. Do nothing
because of strife or worthless conceit. On the contrary, each person
should humbly consider one another to be a higher priority than
himself. No one should focus only on his own ambitions, but also on
one another’s. Share this mindset among you that was held by Jesus
the Messiah:
Although he was in the form of God,
He decided that his equality with God was not something to claim.
Rather, he emptied himself and took on the form of a servant.
He came in the likeness of humanity.
When he had appeared in the shape of man,
He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—
Even death on a cross.
Therefore God has also lifted him up
And has given him the name that is above every name,
So that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus—
Whether they are in heaven, on earth, or under the earth,
 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Messiah is “Master”
To the glory of God the Father.
So, my dearly loved ones, just like you have always obeyed (not
only as you did when I came, but much more now that I am absent),
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You see, God
is the one who operates in you so that you can want and work to
please him!
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may
be faultless and innocent—God’s guiltless children in the middle of a
crooked and corrupt generation! Among them, you shine like lights
in the world. Hold tightly to the living word, so that I may have
something to be proud of on the day of the Messiah—that I have not
run or labored for nothing. Yes! Even if I am offered like a drink
offering for a sacrificial service to your faith, I am glad to do it! I also
congratulate all of you! So, you also need to rejoice in this same
thing and congratulate me.
Now, I hope in Jesus the Master to send Timothy to you quickly,
so that I may be encouraged by knowing how you are doing. I have
no one else like him who would be so sincerely interested in how you
are doing. Everyone seeks his own welfare, and not necessarily the
welfare of Jesus the Messiah. However, you are aware of his
character—that he has served with me in the Message like a child
with his father. Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how
things will turn out for me, but I am convinced in the Master that I
myself will come soon, too!
Now, I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus. He is
my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, and he is your
messenger and assistant to care for my needs. I considered it
necessary to send him because he was longing for all of you and has
been stressed, because you heard that he has been sick. He was really
sick—he nearly died! Yet, God showed mercy to him (and not to
him only—to me also, so that I would not have grief upon grief).
Therefore I sent him to you with even more urgency, so that when
you see him you may rejoice and I may be free of that anxiety.
Therefore, receive him in the Master with all joy, and hold all who
are like him in high honor, because he came close to dying because of
the Messiah’s work and risked his life, so that he might fully
accomplish the assistance you were unable to give me.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Master. Writing the same
things to you is not something I hesitate to do—it is safer for you!
 Watch out for dogs. Watch out for those who do evil things.
Watch out for those who mutilate, because we are the true
circumcision—the ones who worship with God’s Spirit and who take
pride in Jesus the Messiah rather than trusting in bodily circumcision.
As a matter of fact, I also have reason to trust in bodily circumcision.
If anyone thinks that someone else has a reason to trust in bodily
circumcision, I have more reasons! I was circumcised on the eighth
day. I was from the nation of Israel—the tribe of Benjamin. I was a
Hebrew of Hebrews. As far as the Law is concerned, I was a
Pharisee. As far as zeal is concerned, I persecuted the church. As far
as the righteousness that is in the Law is concerned, I was faultless.
However, I have considered these things that were profitable for me
to be worth losing because of the Messiah. As a matter of fact, I
consider everything to be worth losing because of the more important
knowledge of Jesus the Messiah my Master. Because of him, I have
cut my losses on all of these things. I consider them to be garbage, so
that I might gain the Messiah, and appear in him without having the
“righteousness” that is based on the law. Rather, I want the
righteousness that comes through faith in the Messiah—the
righteousness that is from God based on faith. I want to know him
and the power of his resurrection. I want to take part in his suffering
and be like him in his death, so that I might somehow attain that
resurrection from the dead!
It is not the case that I have already received it, or that I have
been made perfect. On the contrary, I pursue the resurrection so that
I might make it mine (after all, it was because of the resurrection that
Jesus the Messiah made me his). Brothers, I do not consider myself
to have made it mine yet, but I do one thing: I forget those things that
are behind me, and I reach forward to the things that are in front of
me. Like a target, I pursue the prize of God’s call to ascend in Jesus
the Messiah. Whoever is mature among us needs to have this
mindset. And if one of you thinks otherwise, God will reveal this
same thing to you also. Nevertheless, we need to follow the rule that
we have already reached.
Brothers, be imitators of me, and notice those who conduct
themselves like the example that you have from us. As I have told
you many times—I even weep now as I tell you again—many are
conducting themselves as enemies of the Messiah’s cross! As for
those who only think of worldly things: their goal is destruction, their
god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame! You see, our
government is in heaven, from which we also wait for a savior—the
Master, Jesus the Messiah. He will transform our humble bodies into
the same form as his own glorious body by the strength that
empowers him to subject everything to himself.
So, my dear brothers for whom I have a deep longing; my joy and
crown: stand your ground as such in the Master, dear loved ones.
I beg Euodia and I beg Synteche to have the same mindset in the
Master. Yes, I ask you also, true friend, to help them, because they
have struggled together with me (as well as Clement and the rest of
my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life) in the
Message.
Always rejoice in the Master. I tell you again: rejoice. Let your
tolerance be known to all men, because the Master is near. Do not be
worried about anything. On the contrary, make your requests known
to God in every situation by prayer and pleading with thankfulness.
Then God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds in Jesus the Messiah.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure,
delightful, or commendable—if there is any virtue or praise in it—
think about these things. Practice what you have learned, received,
heard, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced greatly in the Master that now you have finally revived
your concern for me. Granted, you were concerned about me before,
but you had no opportunity to help—not that I am saying this
because I need something, because I have learned to be self-sufficient
in any circumstance I am in. I know both how to deal with having
little and with having an overflow. In any and all circumstances I
have learned the secret of living with being full or hungry—having an
overflow or a need. I can endure all things because of the one who
empowers me. Nevertheless, you have done well in sharing with me
in my affliction.
Now, Philippians, you also know for yourselves that in my early
dealings with the Message, when I went out from Macedonia, not a
single church took part in the matter of give-and-take assistance
except for you alone, because even in Thessalonica, time and again
you sent to meet my need. It is not that I seek a gift—I seek the fruit
that would increase to your account. I have everything and plenty of
it—I have been made complete because of what I received from
Epaphroditus that you sent—it was a fragrant offering and an
acceptable sacrifice to God. My God will meet every one of your
needs Jesus the Messiah because of his glorious wealth. May the
glory be to God our Father forever and ever, amen!
 Greet all of the saints in Jesus the Messiah. Those who are with
me greet you. All of the saints greet you, especially those who are in
Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Master, Jesus the Messiah,
be with your spirit.
From the translator:

Thank you so much for reading this translation

of the book of Philippians. I hope it has been of help
to your study of God’s word. Be sure to look for other
translated New Testament books as they are finished
and published on this website.

Josh James