Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

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.

Carry Your Own Cross And Follow Me. Calculate The Cost First

²⁵ And large crowds were proceeding-with Him. And having turned, He said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever is not carrying his own cross^[a] and coming after Me, cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which of you wanting to build a tower does not first, having sat-down, calculate the cost to see whether he has enough for the completion?— ²⁹ in order that he having laid a foundation and not being able to finish it out, all the ones observing may not perhaps begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying that ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish it out!’ ³¹ Or what king going to engage another king in battle will not, having sat-down first, deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet^[b] the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise indeed, the one coming still being far away— the king, having sent-forth a delegation, asks the things for peace. ³³ So therefore, any of you who is not saying-goodbye^[c] to all his possessions cannot be My disciple.