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1 So think about all that, my Christian friends, and keep on following our leader Jesus. And keep on trusting him properly. I love you very much, and I really want to see you again. You make me very happy, and it is like you are the prize that I get for winning a race.
Don’t argue with each other
2 Now I just want to talk to Yuwodia and Sintiki. I ask you 2 women very strongly to stop arguing with each other, and to try to think the same way as each other. Remember, you both belong to our leader Jesus.
3 And now I’m talking to my other good friend there. Listen, my friend, you worked hard with me, and you always tried to follow Jesus properly. Now I want you to help those 2 women to be friends with each other. They both worked hard to tell people the good news about Jesus. They worked with me and Clement and some other Christians. God wrote the names of all those Christians in his special book called the book of life, where he writes the name of every person that will live with him for ever.
Jesus can make you happy and quiet inside
4 Now I’m talking to all of you Christians. You belong to our leader, Jesus, so always be happy. This is important, so I’m saying it again, “Be happy.”
5 Always be easy with people, and be nice to them, so that everyone will see how good you are. Remember that our leader, Jesus, will come back soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything, but pray to God and ask him for everything you need. And always thank God for what he has already done.
7 Then God will get you to feel happy and quiet inside yourselves. You belong to Jesus Christ, and he will do that to look after your minds, so that you will think properly. Nobody knows how God does it, but he can do it.
Think about good things
8 And one more thing, my Christian friends. Keep thinking about the things that are true, and the things that people should respect. Keep thinking about the things that are right, and good, and lovely. Think about things that everyone reckons are really good. Think about the things that we can thank God for.
9 And remember, when I was with you, I taught you the right things to do. You agreed with me about those things. And you know the things that I said, and the things that I did when I was with you. Well, keep on doing all those things. Then God will be with you, and he will get you to feel happy and quiet inside yourselves.
The Christians at Philippi wanted to help Paul, and that made him happy
10 Now I will tell you how things are going with me here. I’m really happy, thanks to our leader Jesus. I know that you were worried about me here in jail, and you wanted to send something to help me, but at first you couldn’t do it. Then later, you found a way to send me something, and that made me happy. It shows that you are still thinking about me.
11 I’m not saying this because I need anything. I have learned to be happy, no matter what happens to me.
12 I know what it is like to need things, and I know what it is like to have a lot of things. I have learned this secret, to be happy all the time no matter what happens. Sometimes I can eat plenty of food, and sometimes I go hungry. But it doesn’t matter, I can be happy anyway. Sometimes I have everything I need, and sometimes I haven’t got anything. But it doesn’t matter, I can be happy anyway.
13 You see, Jesus Christ makes me strong, so I can do all these things.
14 And you have been very good to me. I have been getting trouble, but you remembered me, and you helped me a lot.
The Christians at Philippi do good things, so God is happy with them
15 Remember the time when I first came to tell you the good news about Jesus. Then I left your country, called Macedonia, and I went to tell other people this story. You know, you were the only Christian church that gave me something to help me do that.
16 And when I was in the town called Thessalonica, I needed money, you mob kept on sending me money and things, to help me.
17 I’m not telling you this to get you to send me more things. But I want you to keep on doing good things like that, so that God will be happy about you. He will add those good things to the list of all the good things you have done, and one day, he will pay you for it all.
Give to God, and he will give you everything you need
18 But right now I have everything I need, and even more than I need. You are so good to me. You gave lots of money and things to Epafroditus to bring to me. But you didn’t only give them to me. You gave them to God. They are the right sort of gift, a really nice one, so he is very happy.
19 You know, God looks after me, and he will look after you too. You belong to Jesus Christ, and God will give you everything you need. He is really rich and powerful. So he can give you everything you need.
20 He is our God and our father. Everybody has to always say that he is very great, for ever and ever. That’s right.
The end of Paul’s letter
21 Say hello to all God’s people there that belong to Jesus Christ. The Christians that are with me here say hello to you.
22 All of God’s people say hello to you. There are some Christians here that live in the house that belongs to the really big government boss, and they say a special hello to you.
23 I pray that our leader, Jesus Christ, will keep on being really good to all of you.
From Paul