4. always praying with joy in every prayer of mine for you all,
5. because of your sharing in the Good News from the first day until now.
6. I am sure of this very thing—that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the Day of Messiah Yeshua.
7. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart—for you all are partakers of grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News.
8. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Messiah Yeshua.
9. Now this I pray, that your love might overflow still more and more in knowledge and depth of discernment,
10. in order to approve what is excellent—so that in the Day of Messiah you may be sincere and blameless,
11. filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Yeshua the Messiah, to the glory and praise of God.
12. Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the Good News.
13. And so my imprisonment in the cause of Messiah has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to everyone else.
14. Because of my imprisonment, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord to dare more than ever to speak the message fearlessly.
15. Some are proclaiming the Messiah out of envy and strife, but others out of good will.
16. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.
17. The former proclaim Messiah not sincerely, but out of selfishness—expecting to stir up trouble for me in my imprisonment.
18. But what does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in dishonesty or in truth, Messiah is being proclaimed—and in this I rejoice! Yes, and I will keep rejoicing,
19. for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance, through your intercession and the help of the Ruach of Messiah Yeshua.
20. My eager expectation and hope is that in no way will I be put to shame, but that with complete boldness Messiah will even now, as always, be exalted in my body—whether through life or through death.
21. For to me, to live is Messiah and to die is gain.