because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.

For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!

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

Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!

In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable.

For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form,

these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.

Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas greet you.

We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly in our prayers,

that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor,

In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need.