1 Q uanto ao mais, irmãos meus, regozijai-vos no Senhor. Não me é penoso a mim escrever-vos as mesmas coisas, e a vós vos dá segurança.

So now, my Christian brothers, be happy because you belong to Christ. It is not hard for me to write the same things to you. It is good for you.

2 A cautelai-vos dos cães; acautelai-vos dos maus obreiros; acautelai-vos da falsa circuncisão.

Watch out for false teachers. Watch out for sinful men. They want you to depend on the religious act of becoming a Jew for your hope.

3 P orque a circuncisão somos nós, que servimos a Deus em espírito, e nos gloriamos em Cristo Jesus, e não confiamos na carne.

The act of becoming a Jew has nothing to do with us becoming Christians. We worship God through His Spirit and are proud of Jesus Christ. We have no faith in what we ourselves can do.

4 S e bem que eu poderia até confiar na carne. Se algum outro julga poder confiar na carne, ainda mais eu:

I could have reason to trust in the flesh. If anyone could feel that the flesh could do something for him, I could.

5 c ircuncidado ao oitavo dia, da linhagem de Israel, da tribo de Benjamim, hebreu de hebreus; quanto ã lei fui fariseu;

I went through the religious act of becoming a Jew when I was eight days old. I was born a Jew and came from the family group of Benjamin. I was a Jewish son of Jewish parents. I belonged to the group of the proud religious law-keepers.

6 q uanto ao zelo, persegui a igreja; quanto ã justiça que há na lei, fui irrepreensível.

I followed my religion with all my heart and did everything I could to make it hard for the church. No one could say anything against the way I obeyed the Law. Christ Must Be Lord of Our Lives

7 M as o que para mim era lucro passei a considerá-lo como perda por amor de Cristo;

But I gave up those things that were so important to me for Christ.

8 s im, na verdade, tenho também como perda todas as coisas pela excelência do conhecimento de Cristo Jesus, meu Senhor; pelo qual sofri a perda de todas estas coisas, e as considero como refugo, para que possa ganhar a Cristo,

Even more than that, I think of everything as worth nothing. It is so much better to know Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for Him. And I think of these things as worth nothing so that I can have Christ.

9 e seja achado nele, não tendo como minha justiça a que vem da lei, mas a que vem pela fé em Cristo, a saber, a justiça que vem de Deus pela fé;

I want to be as one with Him. I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ.

10 p ara conhecê-lo, e o poder da sua ressurreição e a e a participação dos seus sofrimentos, conformando-me a ele na sua morte,

I want to know Him. I want to have the same power in my life that raised Jesus from the dead. I want to understand and have a share in His sufferings and be like Christ in His death.

11 p ara ver se de algum modo posso chegar ã ressurreição dentre os mortos.

Then I may be raised up from among the dead.

12 N ão que já a tenha alcançado, ou que seja perfeito; mas vou prosseguindo, para ver se poderei alcançar aquilo para o que fui também alcançado por Cristo Jesus.

I do not say that I have received this or have already become perfect. But I keep going on to make that life my own as Christ Jesus made me His own.

13 I rmãos, quanto a mim, não julgo que o haja alcançado; mas uma coisa faço, e é que, esquecendo-me das coisas que atrás ficam, e avançando para as que estão adiante,

No, Christian brothers, I do not have that life yet. But I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me and look forward to that which is ahead of me.

14 p rossigo para o alvo pelo prêmio da vocação celestial de Deus em Cristo Jesus.

My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God’s call from heaven through Christ Jesus.

15 P elo que todos quantos somos perfeitos tenhamos este sentimento; e, se sentis alguma coisa de modo diverso, Deus também vo-lo revelará.

All of us who are full-grown Christians should think this way. If you do not think this way, God will show it to you.

16 M as, naquela medida de perfeição a que já chegamos, nela prossigamos.

So let us keep on obeying the same truth we have already been following.

17 I rmãos, sede meus imitadores, e atentai para aqueles que andam conforme o exemplo que tendes em nós;

Christian brothers, live your lives as I have lived mine. Watch those who live as I have taught you to live.

18 p orque muitos há, dos quais repetidas vezes vos disse, e agora vos digo até chorando, que são inimigos da cruz de Cristo;

There are many whose lives show they hate the cross of Christ. I have told you this before. Now I tell you again with tears in my eyes.

19 c ujo fim é a perdição; cujo deus é o ventre; e cuja glória assenta no que é vergonhoso; os quais só cuidam das coisas terrenas.

Their god is their stomach. They take pride in things they should be ashamed of. All they think about are the things of this world. In the end they will be destroyed.

20 M as a nossa pátria está nos céus, donde também aguardamos um Salvador, o Senhor Jesus Cristo,

But we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return.

21 q ue transformará o corpo da nossa humilhação, para ser conforme ao corpo da sua glória, segundo o seu eficaz poder de até sujeitar a si todas as coisas.

He will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.