Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

³ I thank my God with every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in all my prayers for you, and pray with gladness, ⁵ because of the fellowship that you have had in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am confident of this: that he who began a good work in you will go forth with it until the day of Jesus Christ – ⁷ as it is fitting for me so to judge of you all, because I have you in my heart, and have you also every one companions of grace with me, even in my bonds, as I defend and establish the gospel.

⁸ For God is my witness how greatly I long after you all from the very heart root in Jesus Christ. ⁹ And this I pray: that your love may increase more and more in knowledge and in all experience, ¹⁰ that you may accept the things of most value, that you may be pure, and such as would hurt no man’s conscience until the day of Christ – ¹¹ filled with the fruits of righteousness, which fruits come by Jesus Christ for the glory and laud of God.

¹² I would you understood, brethren, that my trouble has served for the great furthering of the gospel. ¹³ For my bonds in Christ are manifest throughout all the judgment hall and in all other places, ¹⁴ and many of the brethren in the Lord are emboldened through my bonds, and dare to more freely speak the word without fear.