Philemon 8-14
English Standard Version
Paul's Plea for Onesimus
8 Accordingly, (A)though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do (B)what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now (C)a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for (D)my child, (E)Onesimus,[a] (F)whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me (G)on your behalf (H)during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be (I)by compulsion but of your own accord.
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- Philemon 1:10 Onesimus means useful (see verse 11) or beneficial (see verse 20)
Philemon 8-14
Holman Christian Standard Bible
An Appeal for Onesimus
8 For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right, 9 I appeal to you, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man[a] and now also as a prisoner(A) of Christ Jesus, 10 appeal to you for my son,(B) Onesimus.[b](C) I fathered[c](D) him while I was in chains. 11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back to you as a part of myself.[d][e] 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will.
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- Philemon 1:9 Or an ambassador
- Philemon 1:10 In Gk, Onesimus means useful.
- Philemon 1:10 Referring to the fact that Paul led him to Christ; 1Co 4:15
- Philemon 1:12 Other mss read him back. Receive him as a part of myself.
- Philemon 1:12 Lit you—that is, my inward parts
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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