Philemon
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
1 Paul[a], a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved one and fellow-worker, 2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church at your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thank God For Your Love, And Pray That Your Faith May Become Effective
4 I am giving-thanks to my God always while[b] making mention of you in my prayers, 5 hearing-of your love and the faith[c] which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 so that the fellowship[d] of [e] your faith may become effective[f] in[g] the knowledge of every good thing in us for Christ. 7 For I had much joy and encouragement in your love, because the deep-feelings of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
I Appeal To You For Onesimus, Your Slave And Our Beloved Brother
8 Therefore, [although] having much boldness in Christ to be commanding you to do the fitting thing, 9 for the sake of love I am rather appealing— being such a one as Paul, an old-man[h], and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I fathered in my imprisonment, Onesimus, 11 the one formerly useless[i] to you but now useful both to you and to me, 12 whom I sent-back to you (him! That is, my own deep-feelings[j]!), 13 whom I was wishing to hold-back with myself in order that on behalf of you he might be serving me in my imprisonment for the good-news. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, in order that your good deed should not be as-if based-on[k] compulsion[l], but based-on willingness[m]. 15 For perhaps for this reason he was separated for an hour: in order that you might receive him in full forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but beyond a slave, a beloved brother— especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord!
Accept Him As Me, And Charge His Debts To My Account
17 Therefore if you hold me as a partner, accept him as me. 18 And if as to anything he wronged[n] you or owes you, charge this to my account— 19 I, Paul, wrote this with my own hand, I will repay— in order that I may not be saying to you that you indeed owe[o] yourself to me! 20 Yes, brother, may I profit[p] from you in the Lord. Refresh my deep-feelings in Christ.
I Have Confidence In Your Response, And Hope To See You Soon
21 I wrote to you having confidence in your obedience, knowing that you will do even beyond the things which I am saying. 22 And at the same time also, prepare lodging for me, for I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted to you. 23 Epaphras, my fellow-captive in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow-workers. 25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Footnotes
- Philemon 1:1 On when this book was written, see Act 28:30.
- Philemon 1:4 Or, while always.
- Philemon 1:5 Or, faithfulness. Some regroup this as ‘your love for all the saints and the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus’.
- Philemon 1:6 Or, participation, contribution, communion, sharing; or, the material contribution, generosity.
- Philemon 1:6 Or, with, springing from, produced by.
- Philemon 1:6 Or, powerful, productive. Or, active, operative.
- Philemon 1:6 Or, by.
- Philemon 1:9 Or, an ambassador.
- Philemon 1:11 This is a play on words. The name Onesimus means ‘useful’.
- Philemon 1:12 Onesimus represents Paul’s own deep feelings (or, heart) sent back to Philemon to be ‘refreshed’ (v 20).
- Philemon 1:14 Or, by-way-of.
- Philemon 1:14 Or, force, necessity.
- Philemon 1:14 Or, voluntary-choice.
- Philemon 1:18 Or, harmed.
- Philemon 1:19 In other words, I will repay any debt of his so that the issue does not arise, because if you hold Onesimus responsible for any debt to you, I will be forced to speak to you about the even greater debt you owe to me.
- Philemon 1:20 Or, may I be favored by you; may I benefit from you.
Philemon
Easy-to-Read Version
1 Greetings from Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, our brother.
To Philemon, our dear friend and worker with us. 2 Also to our sister Apphia, to Archippus, who serves with us in the Lord’s army, and to the church that meets in your home.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 I remember you in my prayers. And I always thank my God for you. 5 I thank God because I hear about the love you have for all of God’s holy people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the faith you share will make you understand every blessing we have in Christ. 7 My brother, you have shown love to God’s people, and your help has greatly encouraged them. What a great joy and encouragement that has been to me.
Accept Onesimus as a Brother
8 There is something that you should do. And because of the authority I have in Christ, I feel free to command you to do it. 9 But I am not commanding you; I am asking you to do it out of love. I, Paul, am an old man now, and I am a prisoner for Christ Jesus. 10 I am asking you for my son Onesimus. He became my son while I was in prison. 11 In the past he was useless to you. But now he has become useful[a] for both you and me.
12 I am sending him back to you, but it’s as hard as losing part of myself. 13 I would like to keep him here to help me while I am still in prison for telling the Good News. By helping me here, he would be representing you. 14 But I did not want to do anything without asking you first. Then whatever you do for me will be what you want to do, not what I forced you to do.
15 Onesimus was separated from you for a short time. Maybe that happened so that you could have him back forever, 16 not to be just a slave, but better than a slave, to be a dear brother. That’s what he is to me. And I know he will mean even more to you, both as your slave and as one who shares your faith in the Lord.
17 If you accept me as your friend, then accept Onesimus back. Welcome him like you would welcome me. 18 If he has done any wrong to you or owes you anything, charge that to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this in my own handwriting: I will pay back anything Onesimus owes. And I will say nothing about what you owe me for your own life. 20 So, my brother, as a follower of the Lord please do this favor[b] for me. It would be such a great encouragement to me as your brother in Christ. 21 I write this letter knowing that you will do what I ask, and even more than I ask.
22 Also, please prepare a room for me. I hope that God will answer your prayers and that I will be able to come and see you.
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras is a prisoner with me for Christ Jesus. He sends you his greetings. 24 Also Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke send their greetings. They are workers together with me.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Footnotes
- Philemon 1:11 useless … useful Paul here makes a play on words with the name Onesimus, which means “useful.”
- Philemon 1:20 please do this favor Paul here makes another wordplay on the name Onesimus, using a verb related to it.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International