¹⁷ God’s kingdom isn’t about eating food and drinking but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.

⁴ I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy.

² complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other.

²⁹ So welcome him in the Lord with great joy and show great respect for people like him.

¹² and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people.

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you, given all the joy we have because of you before our God?

Greeting

¹ From Paul, who is a prisoner for the cause of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy.

To Philemon our dearly loved coworker, ² Apphia our sister, Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church that meets in your house.

³ May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Paul’s prayer for Philemon

⁴ Philemon, I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers ⁵ because I’ve heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God’s people. ⁶ I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ. ⁷ I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God’s people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.

Paul’s appeal for Onesimus

⁸ Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to command you to do the right thing, ⁹ I would rather appeal to you through love. I, Paul—an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ appeal to you for my child Onesimus. I became his father in the faith during my time in prison. ¹¹ He was useless to you before, but now he is useful to both of us. ¹² I’m sending him back to you, which is like sending you my own heart. ¹³ I considered keeping him with me so that he might serve me in your place during my time in prison because of the gospel. ¹⁴ However, I didn’t want to do anything without your consent so that your act of kindness would occur willingly and not under pressure. ¹⁵ Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but more than a slave—that is, as a dearly loved brother. He is especially a dearly loved brother to me. How much more can he become a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord!

¹⁷ So, if you really consider me a partner, welcome Onesimus as if you were welcoming me. ¹⁸ If he has harmed you in any way or owes you money, charge it to my account. ¹⁹ I, Paul, will pay it back to you (I’m writing this with my own hand). Of course, I won’t mention that you owe me your life.

²⁰ Yes, brother, I want this favor from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹ I’m writing to you, confident of your obedience and knowing that you will do more than what I ask. ²² Also, one more thing—prepare a guest room for me. I hope that I will be released from prison to be with you because of your prayers.

Final greeting

²³ Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the cause of Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴ as well as my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

²⁵ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

³⁴ You even showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, since you knew that you had better and lasting possessions.