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¹ PAUL, a prisoner of Jesus the Messiah, and Timothy a brother; to the beloved Philemon, a laborer with us,² and to our beloved Apphia, and to Archippus a laborer with us, and to the church in thy house.³ Grace be with you, and peace from God our father, and from our Lord Jesus the Messiah.⁴ I thank my God always, and remember thee in my prayers,⁵ lo, from the time that I heard of thy faith, and of the love thou hast towards our Lord Jesus, and towards all the saints;⁶ that there may be a fellowship of thy faith, yielding fruits in works, and in the knowledge of all the good things ye possess in Jesus the Messiah.⁷ For we have great joy and consolation, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thy love.

⁸ Therefore I might have great freedom In the Messiah, to enjoin upon thee the things that are right.⁹ But for love's sake, I earnestly beseech theeeven I, Paul, who am aged, as thou knowest, and now also a prisoner for Jesus the Messiah.¹⁰ I beseech thee for my son, whom I had begotten in my bondsfor Onesimus;¹¹ from whom formerly thou hadst no profit, but now very profitable will he be both to thee and to me; and whom I have sent to thee.¹² And receive thou him, as one begotten by me.¹³ For I was desirous to retain him with me, that he might minister to me in thy stead, in these bonds for the gospel.¹⁴ But I would do nothing without consulting thee; lest thy benefit should be as if by compulsion, and not with thy pleasure.¹⁵ And, perhaps, also, he therefore departed from thee for a season, that thou mightest retain him for ever;¹⁶ henceforth, not as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother dear to me, and much more to thee, both in the flesh and in our Lord?¹⁷ If therefore thou art in fellowship with me, receive him as one of mine.¹⁸ And if he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, place it to my account.¹⁹ I, Paul, have written [fn] with my own hand, I will repay: not to say to thee, that to me thou owest thy ownself. ²⁰ Yes, my brother, let me be refreshed by thee in our Lord: refresh thou my bowels in the Messiah.²¹ Being confident that thou wilt hearken to me, I have written to thee: and I know that thou wilt do more than I say.²² And herewith, prepare also a house for me to lodge in; for I hope that, by your prayers, I shall be given to you.²³ Epaphras, a fellow-captive with me in Jesus the Messiah, saluteth thee;²⁴ and Mark, and Aristarchus, and Demas, and Luke, my coadjutors.²⁵ The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with your spirit, my brethren. Amen.