having been confident of this very thing, that He who did begin in you a good work, will perform it till a day of Jesus Christ,

having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiah so that God will be glorified and praised.

Now it is my purpose to make clear to you, brothers, that the cause of the good news has been helped by my experiences;

So that my bonds in Christ have been made manifest in the whole palace, and to all others:

and many of the brothers having been made confident by my bonds in the Lord have more abundant courage to speak the word without fear.

The latter are motivated by love, because they know that I have been appointed to defend the gospel.

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

For it has been granted you in Christ's behalf, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,

but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made,

and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death -- death even of a cross,

So, my dearly loved friends, as you have always been obedient, so now with reverence and awe keep on working clear down to the finishing point of your salvation not only as though I were with you but much more because I am away;

to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure.

However, I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, [who has been] my brother and companion and fellow soldier, who was also sent as your messenger to take care of my needs.

for he has been homesick for you all, and distressed at your having heard of his illness.

For it is true that he has been ill, and was apparently at the point of death; but God had pity on him, and not only on him, but also on me, to save me from having sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I have been the more eager to send him, in order that you may rejoice in seeing him again, and that I may have one sorrow less.

Having been circumcised on the eighth day, I am of the nation of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As far as the Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee.

But whatever former things were gains to me [as I thought then], these things [once regarded as advancements in merit] I have come to consider as loss [absolutely worthless] for the sake of Christ [and the purpose which He has given my life].

But surely, I also think all things to be loss for the superiority of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have been made to lose all things, and I think to be offscourings, that I shall gain Christ,

Not that I did already obtain, or have been already perfected; but I pursue, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by the Christ Jesus;

Brethren, I reckon not myself to have been overtaken: but one, truly forgetting things behind, and stretching still farther to things before,

Let us therefore, who have been instructed, have this in view: and if you are sollicitous about any thing else, God will reveal even that unto you.

For, many, are walking - of whom I have often been telling you, and, now, even weeping, am telling, - the enemies of the cross of the Christ;

Yes, and I am asking you also, [my] faithful partner [Note: This person is unknown, but may have been one of Paul's preacher companions], help those women, for they have worked hard with me in [spreading] the Gospel, along with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life. [See Rev. 3:5; Heb. 12:23].

Howbeit I have been made to rejoice in the Lord greatly - that, now, at length, ye have flourished in your care for me, - although, indeed, ye were caring, but lacked opportunity.

I know how to live humbly, and I also know how to bear prosperity. In every place and under all circumstances I have been initiated into the secret of fulness and of hunger, of prosperity and of want.

I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.