These latter preach Him from love to me, knowing that I am here for the defence of the Good News;

while the others proclaim Him from motives of rivalry, and insincerely, supposing that by this they are embittering my imprisonment.

For you have had the privilege granted you on behalf of Christ--not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf;

Nay, He stripped Himself of His glory, and took on Him the nature of a bondservant by becoming a man like other men.

It is in consequence of this that God has also so highly exalted Him, and has conferred on Him the Name which is supreme above every other,

For I have no one likeminded with him, who will cherish a genuine care for you.

I send him because he is longing to see you all and is 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.

I am therefore all the more eager to send him, in the hope that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have the less sorrow.

Receive him therefore with heartfelt Christian joy, and hold in honour men like him;

Nay, I even reckon all things as pure loss because of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. And for His sake I have suffered the loss of everything, and reckon it all as mere refuse, in order that I may win Christ and be found in union with Him,

I have strength for anything through Him who gives me power.