Philemon

Tree of Life Version

Greetings to a House Group

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Messiah Yeshua, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow worker.

² To Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the community that meets in your house:

³ Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Messiah Yeshua!

Thanks for Love and Comfort

⁴ I thank my God always when mentioning you in my prayers, ⁵ hearing of your love and the trust you have toward the Lord Yeshua and all the kedoshim. ⁶ May the fellowship of your faith become effective, with the recognition of all the good that is ours in Messiah. ⁷ For I’ve received much joy and comfort in your love, brother, because the hearts of the kedoshim have been refreshed through you.

Request for Philemon’s Runaway

⁸ Therefore, though I have plenty of boldness in Messiah to order you to do what’s right, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I appeal to you instead. I, Paul, am an old man and now also a prisoner belonging to Messiah Yeshua. ¹⁰ I beg you for my child Onesimus—for whom I became a spiritual father while in chains. ¹¹ He once was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and me. ¹² I sent him back to you—he is my very heart. ¹³ I really wanted to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he might serve me while I am in chains for the Good News. ¹⁴ But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness wouldn’t be by force but by free will.

¹⁵ For perhaps he was separated from you for a while in order that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but more than a slave—as a beloved brother, especially to me but even more so to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸ But if he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay. (Not to mention that you owe me your very self.) ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Messiah.

Added Request and Farewell

²¹ Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than 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 given back to you. ²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Messiah Yeshua, greets you. ²⁴ So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. ²⁵ May the grace of our Lord Messiah Yeshua be with your spirit. Amen.