1
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to
Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia our
sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your
house: 3 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5
because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the
Lord Jesus and all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith
may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing that is
ours in Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love,
my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through
you.
8 Therefore, though I am bold enough in Christ to order you to
do what is proper, 9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to youósince I am
such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ
Jesusó10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have
become in my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now
he is useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back to you,
sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, so
that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the
gospel; 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that
your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own
free will. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a
while, that you might have him back for ever, 16 no longer as a slave, but
more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much
more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would
welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything,
charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I
will pay it backónot to mention that you owe me even your own self. 20
Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my
heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that
you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest
room for me, for I hope through your prayers to be granted to you.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you
greetings, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow
workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.