Philemon 1

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, ² to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house: ³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶ I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ. ⁷ I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. ⁸ So although in Christ I am bold enough to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as well. ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains. ¹¹ Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. ¹² I am sending back to you him who is my very heart. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will. ¹⁵ For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord. ¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. ¹⁸ But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account. ¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very 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 ask. ²² In the meantime, prepare a guest room for me, because I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you. ²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. ²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.