| 12 Γινώσκειν δὲ ὑμᾶς βούλομαι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι τὰ κατ' ἐμὲ μᾶλλον εἰς προκοπὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐλήλυθεν, 13 ὥστε τοὺς δεσμούς μου φανεροὺς ἐν Χριστῷ γενέσθαι ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πραιτωρίῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πάσιν, 14 καὶ τοὺς πλείονας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐν κυρίῳ πεποιθότας τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου περισσοτέρως τολμᾶν ἀφόβως τὸν λόγον λαλεῖν. 15 τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐδοκίαν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσσουσιν: 16 οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀγάπης, εἰδότες ὅτι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κεῖμαι, 17 οἱ δὲ ἐξ ἐριθείας τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλουσιν, οὐχ ἁγνῶς, οἰόμενοι θλῖψιν ἐγείρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. 18 τί γάρ; πλὴν ὅτι παντὶ τρόπῳ, εἴτε προφάσει εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, Χριστὸς καταγγέλλεται, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ χαίρω. ἀλλὰ καὶ χαρήσομαι: 19 οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι τοῦτό μοι ἀποβήσεται εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν δεήσεως καὶ ἐπιχορηγίας τοῦ πνεύματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 20 κατὰ τὴν ἀποκαραδοκίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα μου ὅτι ἐν οὐδενὶ αἰσχυνθήσομαι, ἀλλ' ἐν πάσῃ παρρησίᾳ ὡς πάντοτε καὶ νῦν μεγαλυνθήσεται Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ σώματί μου, εἴτε διὰ ζωῆς εἴτε διὰ θανάτου. 21 Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος. 22 εἰ δὲ τὸ ζῆν ἐν σαρκί, τοῦτό μοι καρπὸς ἔργου: καὶ τί αἱρήσομαι οὐ γνωρίζω. 23 συνέχομαι δὲ ἐκ τῶν δύο, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον: 24 τὸ δὲ ἐπιμένειν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς. 25 καὶ τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα ὅτι μενῶ καὶ παραμενῶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν εἰς τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν καὶ χαρὰν τῆς πίστεως, 26 ἵνα τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν περισσεύῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμῆς παρουσίας πάλιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. |
12 I hasten to assure you, brethren, that my circumstances here have only had the effect of spreading the gospel further; 13 so widely has my imprisonment become known, in Christ’s honour, throughout the praetorium and to all the world beyond.[6] 14 And most of the brethren, deriving fresh confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment, are making bold to preach God’s word with more freedom than ever. 15 Some of them, it is true, for no better reason than rivalry or jealousy; but there are others who really proclaim Christ out of good will. 16 Some, I mean, are moved by charity, because they recognize that I am here to defend the gospel, 17 others by party spirit, proclaiming Christ from wrong motives, just because they hope to make my chains gall me worse. 18 What matter, so long as either way, for private ends or in all honesty, Christ is proclaimed? Of that I am glad now; yes, and I shall be glad hereafter; 19 I am well assured that this will make for my soul’s health, with you to pray for me, and Jesus Christ to supply my needs with his Spirit. 20 This is my earnest longing and my hope, that I shall never be put to the blush; that I shall speak with entire freedom, and so this body of mine will do Christ honour, now as always, in life or in death. 21 For me, life means Christ; death is a prize to be won. 22 But what if living on in this mortal body is the only way to harvest what I have sown? Thus I cannot tell what to choose; 23 I am hemmed in on both sides. I long to have done with it, and be with Christ, a better thing, much more than a better thing; 24 and yet, for your sakes, that I should wait in the body is more urgent still. 25 I am certain of that, and I do not doubt that I shall wait, and wait upon you all, to the happy furtherance of your faith. 26 Yes, you shall be prouder of me than ever in Christ Jesus, when I come once again to visit you. |
12 Scire autem vos volo fratres, quia quæ circa me sunt, magis ad profectum venerunt Evangelii: 13 ita ut vincula mea manifesta fierent in Christo in omni prætorio, et in ceteris omnibus, 14 et plures e fratribus in Domino confidentes vinculis meis, abundantius auderent sine timore verbum Dei loqui. 15 Quidam quidem et propter invidiam et contentionem: quidam autem et propter bonam voluntatem Christum prædicant: 16 quidam ex caritate, scientes quoniam in defensionem Evangelii positus sum. 17 Quidam autem ex contentione Christum annuntiant non sincere, existimantes pressuram se suscitare vinculis meis. 18 Quid enim? Dum omni modo sive per occasionem, sive per veritatem, Christus annuntietur: et in hoc gaudeo, sed et gaudebo. 19 Scio enim quia hoc mihi proveniet ad salutem, per vestram orationem, et subministrationem Spiritus Jesu Christi, 20 secundum exspectationem et spem meam, quia in nullo confundar: sed in omni fiducia sicut semper, et nunc magnificabitur Christus in corpore meo, sive per vitam, sive per mortem. 21 Mihi enim vivere Christus est, et mori lucrum. 22 Quod si vivere in carne, hic mihi fructus operis est, et quid eligam ignoro. 23 Coarctor autem e duobus: desiderium habens dissolvi, et esse cum Christo, multo magis melius: 24 permanere autem in carne, necessarium propter vos. 25 Et hoc confidens scio quia manebo, et permanebo omnibus vobis ad profectum vestrum, et gaudium fidei: 26 ut gratulatio vestra abundet in Christo Jesu in me, per meum adventum iterum ad vos. |