but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body.

For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers with me here send greetings.

All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:

so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.

Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill.

Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.

But for now I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother, coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to me in my need.

For 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 became partners in God’s grace together with me.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that – whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent – I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,