Philemon 1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul,¹ a prisoner of Christ Jesus,² and Timothy our³ brother, to Philemon, our dear friend⁴ and colaborer, 1:2 to Apphia⁵ our sister,⁶ to Archippus our⁷ fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house. 1:3 Grace and peace to you⁸ from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanks for Philemon’s Love and Faith

1:4 I always thank my God⁹ as I remember you in my prayers,¹⁰ 1:5 because I hear¹¹ of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love¹² for all the saints.¹³ 1:6 I pray¹⁴ that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing¹⁵ that belongs to you¹⁶ in Christ.¹⁷ 1:7 I¹⁸ have had great joy and encouragement because¹⁹ of your love, for the hearts²⁰ of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Paul’s Request for Onesimus

1:8 So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper, 1:9 I would rather appeal²¹ to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man²² and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus²³ – 1:10 I am appealing²⁴ to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become²⁵ during my imprisonment,²⁶ that is, Onesimus, 1:11 who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you²⁷ and me. 1:12 I have sent²⁸ him (who is my very heart)²⁹ back to you. 1:13 I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place³⁰ during³¹ my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.³² 1:14 However,³³ without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness. 1:15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally,³⁴ 1:16 no longer as a slave,³⁵ but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking³⁶ and in the Lord. 1:17 Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. 1:18 Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes³⁷ to me. 1:19 I, Paul, have written³⁸ this letter³⁹ with my own hand:⁴⁰ I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe⁴¹ me your very self. 1:20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.⁴² 1:21 Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than⁴³ what I am asking you to do. 1:22 At the same time also, prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.

Concluding Greetings

1:23 Epaphras,⁴⁴ my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you. 1:24 Mark, Aristarchus,⁴⁵ Demas⁴⁶ and Luke, my colaborers, greet you too. 1:25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be⁴⁷ with your spirit.⁴⁸