Greeting

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, ² and to Apphia 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.

Thanksgiving and Prayer for Philemon

⁴ I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I^[a] hear about your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. ⁶ I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing that is in us for Christ. ⁷ For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus

⁸ Therefore, although I^[b] have great confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ instead I appeal to you because of love, since I^[c] am such a one as Paul, now an old man and also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. ¹⁰ I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I became the father of during my imprisonment, Onesimus. ¹¹ Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to you^[d] and to me, ¹² whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my heart, ¹³ whom I wanted to keep with me, in order that he might serve me on behalf of you during my imprisonment for the gospel. ¹⁴ But apart from your consent, I wanted to do nothing, in order that your good deed might be not as according to necessity, but according to your own free will. ¹⁵ For perhaps because of this, he was separated from you for a time, in order that you might 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.

Paul’s Request to Philemon

¹⁷ If therefore you consider me a partner, receive him as you would me. ¹⁸ But if in anything he has caused you loss or owes you anything, charge this to my account^[e]. ¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will pay it back, lest I mention to you that you owe me even your very self besides^[f]. ²⁰ Yes, brother, I ought to have some benefit of you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹ Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you because I^[g] know that you will do even beyond what I say. ²² At the same time also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

Final Greetings and Benediction

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴ and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. ²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.