The Holy Bible: New Covenant

3 with a promise) that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst live long on the earth.

And you, parents, exasperate not your children, but edu. cate them with the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

Servants, obey them who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your hearts, as you do the Christ—not with eye-service as men pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, performing service with good will, as to the Lord and not to men; knowing that whatever good any one doth, the Lord will reward him for it, whether he be a bondman or a freeman.

And you, masters, observe the same conduct towards them, abating your threats, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven, and that with him there is no respect of persons.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the 11 power of his might. Put on the complete armour of God, 12 that you may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. Because our conflict is not barely with flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers-against the rulers of this dark age, against the spiritual [assaults] of the wicked13 ness in the heavenly dispensation; take up therefore the complete armour of God, that you may be able to make resistance in the evil day, and having put a stop to them all, to 14 maintain your ground. Stand, therefore, having your loins 15 girded with truth, and having on the breast plate of righte

ousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the glad 16 tidings of peace, covering all with the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the 17 evil one. Take also the helmet of salvation, and the sword of 18 the spirit, that is the word of God; in every prayer and sup

plication, always praying with the spirit (being for this purpose in a continual state of watchfulness and prayer) for all 19 the saints-particularly for me, that to me a word may be given, that with the opening of my mouth, and with freedom and plainness of speech, I may make known the secret of the glad 20 tidings, for which I am performing the office of an ambassa

dor in a chain, that in this situation I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Now that you may know the state of my affairs, and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minis22 ter in the Lord, will give you a particular account, as I have sent him for this very purpose, that you may know the state of our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

Peace to the brethren and love with faith, from God the 24 Father and the Lord Jesus Christ-this favour be with all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ without any mixture of corruption. Amen.

THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL

TO THE

PHILIPPIANS.

I. PAUL and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus-to them who are at Philippi, with over2 seers and deacons, favour be to you and peace from God our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God at every God at every mention of you, always, in every 4 prayer of mine for you all, making such supplication with joy 5 for your contribution for the glad tidings; having from the 6 first day till now the same confidence, that he who hath begun a good work in you will continue 'completing it until the day of 7 Jesus Christ; as it is just for me to be thus affected towards you all, because you have me in your heart; and in my bonds and in the defence and support of the glad tidings you all con8 tinue to be fellow sharers with me of this favour. For God is

my witness how tenderly I love you all with the affection of 9 Jesus Christ; and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more, in knowledge and all discernment, that you 10 may prove the things which differ-that you may be sincere 11 and inoffensive till the day of Christ, filled with fruits of righteousness, which are by means of Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

12 Now I wish you, brethren, to know that what hath happened to me hath rather conduced to the furtherance of the 13 gospel; so that in the whole imperial palace, and all other 14 places, my bonds are well known to be for Christ; and a greater number of the brethren in the Lord are emboldened by my bonds

to venture to speak the word with more freedom and intrepi15 dity. Some indeed proclaim the Christ out of envy and con16 tention, but others do it out of good will-the former for the

sake of strife proclaim the Christ not in a pure manner, thinking 17 to add affliction to my bonds; but the latter for love, know18 ing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then?

Still in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is 19 proclaimed. At this therefore I rejoice and will rejoice. For I know that this will issue in my deliverance, through your supplications and a supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, accord20 ing to my earnest expectation and hope that I shall in no wise be ashamed; but that in the most open manner, as always so now, Christ shall be magnified in my body, either by life or 21 by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But 22 whether the living in flesh is for me a fruit of labour, and what 23 I should chuse, I do not know. For I am strained between

the two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which 24 is by far the best; but to abide in the flesh is more needful 25 on your account. And being confident of this, I know that

I shall abide and continue some time with you all for your 26 furtherance and joy in the faith; that by me your glorying in

Christ Jesus may abound, by means of my being present with 27 you again. Only conduct yourselves in a manner becoming the glad tidings of the Christ, that whether I come and see you, or if absent I may hear this of you, that you are stedfast 28 in one spirit, and that without being in the least daunted by your opposers, you contend unanimously for the belief of the gospel, which is to them indeed a manifestation of destruction, but to you, of salvation.

Now with respect to this from God-because this hath been granted to you for Christ, not only to believe in him but 30 also to suffer for him-and you are engaged in the same conflict as that in which you saw me and now hear that I am engaged, if therefore there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any participation of spirit, if any compassion and tender mercies, complete my joy.

II.

In order that you may be like minded, exercising the same 3 love, having your souls knit together, your minds bent on the

THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL

TO THE

PHILIPPIANS.

PAUL and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus-to them who are at Philippi, with over2 seers and deacons, favour be to you and peace from God our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God at every mention of you, always, in every 4 prayer of mine for you all, making such supplication with joy 5 for your contribution for the glad tidings; having from the 6 first day till now the same confidence, that he who hath begun a good work in you will continue completing it until the day of 7 Jesus Christ; as it is just for me to be thus affected towards you all, because you have me in your heart; and in my bonds and in the defence and support of the glad tidings you all con8 tinue to be fellow sharers with me of this favour. For God is my witness how tenderly I love you all with the affection of 9 Jesus Christ; and this I pray that your love may abound still

more and more, in knowledge and all discernment, that you 10 may prove the things which differ that you may be sincere 11 and inoffensive till the day of Christ, filled with fruits of rightcousness, which are by means of Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

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