Salutation

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy ^[a]our brother,

To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, ² and to Apphia ^[b]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.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

⁴ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the ^[c]saints; ⁶ and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective ^[d]through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you ^[e]for Christ’s sake. ⁷ For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the ^[f]hearts of the ^[g]saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁸ Therefore, though I have ^[h]enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, ^[i]the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

Plea for Onesimus, a Free Man

¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child ^[j]Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my ^[k]imprisonment, ¹¹ who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. ¹² I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, ¹³ whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my ^[l]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 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. ¹⁸ But 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 repay it (not to ^[m]mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹ Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²² At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^[n]