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¹ If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions,² make my joy full, that you are of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;³ [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting one another better than himself;⁴ each of you not looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.⁵ Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:⁶ who, existing in the form of God, did not consider making full use of his equality with God,⁷ but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being made in the likeness of men;⁸ and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] to death, yes, the death of the cross.⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;¹⁰ that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth,¹¹ and that every tongue should confess, The Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.

¹² So then, my beloved, even 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;¹³ for it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

¹⁴ Do all things without murmurings and questionings:¹⁵ that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,¹⁶ holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.¹⁷ Yes, and if I am offered on the sacrifice and ministry of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:¹⁸ and in the same manner do you also joy, and rejoice with me.¹⁹ But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly to you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.²⁰ For I have no man likeminded, who will care truly for your state.²¹ For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.²² But you know the proof of him, that, as a child [to] a father, he served as a slave with me in furtherance of the gospel.²³ Therefore I hope to send him forthwith, as soon as I shall see how it will go with me:²⁴ but I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly.²⁵ But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and co-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need;²⁶ since he longed after you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick:²⁷ for indeed he was sick near 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.²⁸ I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.²⁹ Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor:³⁰ because for the work of Christ he came near to death, hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your ministry toward me.