Philemon 1

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and the brother Timothy to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker,

Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved friend and fellow worker,

2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home.

and also to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in yoʋr house:

3 May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God. I mention you in my prayers.

I give thanks to my God, always making mention of yoʋ in my prayers,

5 I have heard of the love and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus and for all the believers.

because I hear of yoʋr love for all the saints and the faith that yoʋ have toward the Lord Jesus.

6 I pray that the fellowship of your faith may be effective for the knowledge of everything good that is among us in Christ.

I pray that yoʋr fellowship with us in the faith may be effective in deepening yoʋr understanding of every blessing that we have in Christ Jesus.

7 For I have had much joy and comfort because of your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

We are very thankful for the comfort we have received from yoʋr love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through yoʋ, brother.

8 Therefore, although I have all the boldness in Christ to command you to do what you should do,

Therefore, although I am bold enough in Christ to command yoʋ to do what is right,

9 yet because of love, I appeal to you instead—I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus.

I would rather appeal to yoʋ on the basis of love. I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner for Jesus Christ,

10 I am asking you concerning my child Onesimus, whom I have fathered in my chains.

appeal to yoʋ on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.

11 For he once was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.

Once he was useless to yoʋ, but now he is useful both to yoʋ and to me. I am sending him back,

12 I have sent him back to you, he who is my very heart.

and I ask yoʋ to receive him, that is, my very own heart.

13 I wish I could have kept him with me, so he could serve me for you, while I am in chains for the sake of the gospel.

I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in yoʋr place during my imprisonment for the gospel.

14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent. I did not want your good deed to be from necessity but from good will.

But I did not want to do anything without yoʋr consent, so that yoʋr good deed would not be done out of compulsion, but of yoʋr own free will.

15 Perhaps for this he was separated from you for a time, so that you might have him back forever. (aiōnios g166)

Perhaps the reason he was separated from yoʋ for an hour was so that yoʋ might have him back forever, (aiōnios g166)

16 No longer would he be a slave, but better than a slave, a beloved brother. He is beloved especially to me, and much more so to you, in both the flesh and in the Lord.

no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me, but even more so to yoʋ, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you have me as a partner, receive him as me.

So if yoʋ consider me to be a partner, receive him as yoʋ would receive me.

18 If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge that to me.

If he has wronged yoʋ in any way or owes yoʋ anything, charge it to me.

19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I myself will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your own self!

I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention that yoʋ owe me yoʋr very own life).

20 Yes, brother, do me a favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from yoʋ in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

21 Confident about your obedience, I am writing to you. I know that you will do even more than I ask.

Trusting in yoʋr obedience, I write to yoʋ, knowing that yoʋ will do even more than I ask.

22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.

At the same time, I want yoʋ to prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you soon.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you.

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus,

24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

and Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers, greet yoʋ.

25 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.