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Greeting

¹ Paul, ^(a)a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and ^(b)Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker ² and Apphia our sister and ^(c)Archippus our ^(d)fellow soldier, and ^(e)the church in your house:

^3 (f)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon's Love and Faith

^4 (g)I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I ^(h)hear of your love and ⁽ⁱ⁾of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, ⁶ and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full ^(j)knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.^{[a] 7} For I have derived much joy and ^(k)comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints ^(l)have been refreshed through you.

Paul's Plea for Onesimus

⁸ Accordingly, ^(m)though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do ⁽ⁿ⁾what is required, ⁹ yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now ^(o)a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for ^(p)my child, ^(q)Onesimus,^{[b] (r)}whose father I became in my imprisonment. ¹¹ (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful 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, in order that he might serve me ^(s)on your behalf ^(t)during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴ but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be ^(u)by compulsion but of your own accord. ¹⁵ For this perhaps is why ^(v)he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ^16 (w)no longer as a bondservant^[c] but more than a bondservant, as ^(x)a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, ^(y)both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you consider me ^(z)your partner, receive him as you would receive me. ¹⁸ If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ^19 (aa)I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. ^(ab)Refresh my heart in Christ.

^21 (ac)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 ^(ad)I am hoping that ^(ae)through your prayers ^(af)I will be graciously given to you.

Final Greetings

^23 (ag)Epaphras, my ^(ah)fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, ²⁴ and so do ^(ai)Mark, ^(aj)Aristarchus, ^(ak)Demas, and ^(al)Luke, my fellow workers.

^25 (am)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.