Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and
Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because
I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord
Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your
faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good
thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much
joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of
the saints have been refreshed through you.
Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to
do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to
you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I
appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my
imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed
useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my
very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order
that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for
the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in
order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own
accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant
but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me,
but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would
receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything,
charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I
will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.
Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my
heart in Christ.
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you
will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest
room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be
graciously given to you.
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to
you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow
workers.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
