Philemon 1
¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ1 Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,
² to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:
³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
⁴ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
⁵ hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
⁶ that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.
⁷ For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
⁸ Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains,2
¹¹ who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
¹² I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
¹³ whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.
¹⁴ But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
¹⁵ For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever,
¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
¹⁷ If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
¹⁸ But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account.
¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).
²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
²¹ Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
²² Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
²⁵ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.