the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Philemon 1
Salutation
1 (C1)Paul, (C2)a prisoner for the sake of (C3)Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), and our brother (C4)Timothy,
Philemon's Love and Faith
4 (C1)I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,5 because I (C1)hear of your love and of your faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the (F1)saints (God's people).6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate (C1)knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.7 For I have had great (C1)joy and comfort and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints (God's people) have been (C2)refreshed through you, my brother.
8 Therefore on the basis of these facts, (C1)though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is (C2)appropriate,9 yet for love's sake I prefer to (C1)appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an (C2)old man, and now also (C3)a prisoner for the sake of (C4)Christ Jesus—
A Plea for Onesimus to be Freed
10 I (C1)appeal to you for my own spiritual (C2)child (C3)Onesimus, whom I have fathered in the faith while a captive in these chains.11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed (F1)useful to you as well as to me.12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, like sending my very heart.13 I would have chosen to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me on your behalf during my (C1)imprisonment for the gospel;14 but I did not want to do anything without first getting your consent, so that your goodness would (C1)not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.15 Perhaps (C1)it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, so that you would have him back forever,16 (C1)no longer as a slave, but as someone more than a slave, as (C2)a brother in Christ, especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both (C3)in the flesh as a servant and in the Lord as a fellow believer. (VR1)17 So if you consider me a (C1)partner, welcome and 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 (C1)I, Paul, write this with my (F1)own hand, I will repay it in full (not to (C2)mention to you that you (F2)owe to me even your own self as well).20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; (C1)refresh my heart in Christ.
21 I write to you perfectly (C1)confident of your obedient compliance, (F1)since I know that you will do even more than I ask.
22 At the same time also prepare a guest (C1)room for me in expectation of a visit, for (C2)I hope that through (C3)your prayers (C4)I will be granted the gracious privilege of coming to you at Colossae.
23 Greetings to you from (C1)Epaphras, my (C2)fellow prisoner here in the cause of Christ Jesus,24 and from (C1)Mark, (C2)Aristarchus, (C3)Demas, and (C3)Luke, my (C4)fellow workers.
25 (C1)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be (C2)with your spirit.
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