because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now,

just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, [since] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you are sharers of grace with me.

and most of the brothers, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, dare [even] more to speak the word without fear.

Some even because of envy and strife preach Christ, but some also because of good will.

And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that [what] you can be proud of may increase in Christ Jesus because of me through my return again to you.

because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him,

because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

because on account of the work of Christ he came near to the point of death, risking his life in order that {he might make up for your inability to serve me}.

But whatever [things] were gain to me, these [things] I have considered loss because of Christ.

{More than that}, even consider all [things] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all [things], and consider [them] dung, in order that I may gain Christ

because even in Thessalonica {on more than one occasion} you sent for my need.

But I have received everything [in full] and have an abundance; {I am well supplied} [because] I received from Epaphroditus {what you had sent}, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.