| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. | 1Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. |
| 2Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh! | 2Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! |
| 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— | 3For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials |
| 4though I myself could have such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: | 4--though mine too are significant. If someone thinks he has good reasons to put confidence in human credentials, I have more: |
| 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; | 5I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. |
| 6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless. | 6In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. |
| 7But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ. | 7But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. |
| 8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ | 8More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things--indeed, I regard them as dung!--that I may gain Christ, |
| 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. | 9and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ's faithfulness--a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ's faithfulness. |
| 10I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, | 10My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, |
| 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. | 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. |
| 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. | 12Not that I have already attained this--that is, I have not already been perfected--but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. |
| 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, | 13Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, |
| 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. | 14with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. |
| 15All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well. | 15Therefore let those of us who are "perfect" embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. |
| 16Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained. | 16Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained. |
| 17Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you. | 17Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. |
| 18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. | 18For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. |
| 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. | 19Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. |
| 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, | 20But our citizenship is in heaven--and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 21who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body. | 21who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself. |
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