Bible Buk Namba 50—Philippians
Man wea Raetem: Paul
Ples Hem Raetem: Rome
Taem Hem Finis Raetem: c. 60–61 C.E.
TAEM aposol Paul kasem wanfala vision for tekem go gud nius long Macedonia, hem witim Luke, Silas, and Timothy kwiktaem for obey. From Troas long Asia Minor, olketa kasem ship go long Neapolis, stretawe olketa wakabaot 16 kilometer akros wanfala maunten road go long Philippi. Luke storyim Philippi olsem “main taon long province bilong Macedonia.” (Acts 16:12) Olketa givim disfala nem Philippi from king bilong Macedonia, Philip II (dadi bilong Alexander the Great) wea tekovarem Philippi long 356 B.C.E. Bihaen olketa bilong Rome tekem taon. Hem ples bilong war long 42 B.C.E. wea strongim paoa bilong Octavian, wea bihaen hem kamap Caesar Augustus. From diswan, Philippi kamap wanfala province bilong Rome.
2 Hem kastom bilong Paul for preach firstaem long olketa Jew taem hem kasem niufala taon. Bat, long firstfala taem wea Paul kasem Philippi long samting olsem 50 C.E., samfala Jew nomoa stap and olketa no garem synagogue, from olketa hipap long saed river aotsaed long taon for prea. Kwiktaem nomoa preaching waka bilong Paul kasem gud samting, wanfala niu disaepol Lydia, wea hem wanfala proselyte and woman wea garem bisnis, kwiktaem tekem truth abaotem Christ and askem olketa visitor for stap witim hem long haos bilong hem. Luke raetem: “Hem laekem tumas for mifala kam.” Bat kwiktaem nomoa persecution hem start, olketa whipim Paul and Silas, and torowem tufala long prison. Taem tufala long prison, earthquake kamap and prison gard witim famili bilong hem kamap niu disaepol from olketa lisin long Paul and Silas. Nextfala day, olketa aotem Paul and Silas from prison, and tufala visitim olketa brata long haos bilong Lydia and strongim olketa bifor tufala lusim taon.—Acts 16:9-40.
3 Samfala year bihaen, long mek-thri missionary gogo, Paul visitim kongregeson long Philippi moa. Then, klosap ten year bihaen hem startim datfala kongregeson, wei wea olketa brata long Philippi showimaot love muvim Paul for raetem disfala leta long olketa wea stap insaed Holy Bible wea garem nem bilong disfala kongregeson wea Paul lovem.
4 Plande man wea raet abaotem Bible agree Paul nao raetem disfala leta, and witim gud reason. Polycarp (69?-155? C.E.) tu raetem leta long Philippi and hem talem wei wea Paul raet go long olketa. Olketa firstfala man wea raet abaotem Bible, olsem Ignatius, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement bilong Alexandria, olketa tu talem wei wea Paul nao raetem leta. Muratorian pepa bilong mek-tu century C.E. and samfala buk moa tok abaotem disfala leta and hem stap witim eitfala narafala leta bilong Paul insaed Chester Beatty Papyrus No.2 (P46), wea maet from 200 C.E.
5 Iumi fit for pruvim ples and date wea hem raetem disfala leta. Taem Paul raetem, hem long prison wea gard bilong emperor bilong Rome lukaotem hem and olketa Christian busy long waka bilong olketa. Long end bilong leta hem givim love from olketa wea faithful long haos bilong Caesar. Evri samting hia point go long Rome olsem ples wea Paul sendem go disfala leta.—Phil. 1:7, 13, 14; 4:22; Acts 28:30, 31.
6 Wanem taem nao hem raetem disfala leta? Luk olsem Paul stap lelebet longtaem long Rome bikos nius and reason why nao hem long prison olsem Christian kasem olketa Praetorian Gard bilong emperor and plande pipol moa. And tu, inaf taem stap for Epaphroditus for kam from Philippi (samting olsem 953 kilometer) witim wanfala present for Paul, for nius go bak long Philippi abaotem sik bilong Epaphroditus long Rome, and for olketa sorre toktok from Philippi kam bak long Rome moa. (Phil. 2:25-30; 4:18) From firstaem wea Paul go long prison long Rome hem happen klosap 59-61 C.E., luk olsem hem raetem disfala leta long 60 or 61 C.E., maet winim wanfala year bihaen hem firstaem kasem Rome.
7 Plande samting join tugeta for mekem strongfala love stap midolwan long Paul and olketa brata long Philippi, olsem; pain and hard waka for mekem olketa niu disaepol thru long word bilong truth, love and kaenfala fasin witim olketa present wea olketa brata long Philippi givim long Paul wea hem needim long hardfala gogo bilong hem, and bigfala wei wea Jehovah blessim firstfala missionary gogo long Macedonia. Kaenfala present, witim wei wea olketa wari tumas abaotem Epaphroditus and wei wea gud nius long Rome muv ahed, muvim Paul for raetem go wanfala leta long olketa wea garem feeling and showimaot love for encouragem and buildimap olketa.
WEI WEA HEM HELPEM IUMI
12 Buk bilong Philippians hem barava helpem iumi! Iumi laekem Jehovah for hapi long iumi and for kasem semkaen encouragement from olketa Christian overseer olsem kongregeson long Philippi kasem from Paul. Iumi fit for kasem sapos iumi followim example bilong olketa long Philippi and loving kaonsel bilong Paul. Olsem olketa long Philippi, iumi mas showimaot kaenfala fasin, redi for helpem olketa brata bilong iumi taem olketa insaed trabol, and mas share for defendim and strongim gud nius long saed bilong law. (1:3-7) Iumi mas gohed for “standap strong witim wan mind, witim wanfala soul waka hard tugeta for faith bilong gud nius,” and shaen olsem “olketa laet” midolwan long wanfala nogud and olobaot genereson. Taem iumi duim diswan and gohed for tingim important samting, iumi savve kamap wanfala hapi for olketa brata long sem wei wea olketa long Philippi kamap wanfala bigfala hapi long aposol Paul.—1:27; 2:15; 4:1, 8.
13 “Witim wan mind followim example bilong mi,” Paul hem sei. Followim hem long wanem wei? Wanfala wei hem for satisfae long samting wea man garem. Nomata Paul garem plande samting, or hem needim samting, hem lane for changem living and no komplen, mekem hem gohed witim strong and hapi long ministry bilong God. Evriwan mas olsem Paul tu long wei for showimaot loving feeling for olketa faithful brata. Witim bigfala hapi feeling hem story abaotem ministry bilong Timothy and Epaphroditus. And hem barava fren gud witim olketa brata long Philippi, wea hem kolem “olketa brata wea mi lovem and want for lukim, hapi and crown bilong mi”!—3:17; 4:1, 11, 12; 2:19-30.
14 Hao nao iumi savve followim Paul moa? Taem iumi “aftarem datfala goal”! Evriwan wea mind bilong olketa strong long ‘olketa samting wea important’ olketa barava interest long nambawan arrangement bilong Jehovah long heven and earth, wea “evri tongue mas talemaot Jesus Christ nao hem Lord for givim glory long God wea hem Father.” Disfala nambawan kaonsel long Philippians hem encouragem evriwan wea garem hope for laef olowe wea join witim Kingdom bilong God for aftarem datfala goal. Bat, main sekson wea olketa leta long Philippi hem fitim hem olketa wea garem ‘ples long heven,’ and wea barava weit ‘for kamap nambawan body olsem [Christ].’ “Forgetim evri samting long bihaen and trae hard for kasem olketa samting wea stap long front,” letem olketa hia followim aposol Paul and “aftarem datfala goal for prize for go ap,” nambawan laef wea olketa bae kasem long Kingdom bilong heven!—4:8; 2:10, 11; 3:13, 14, 20, 21.