< Philemon 1 >

1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother: To Philemon our dearly-loved fellow labourer--
Παῦλος δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς Φιλήμονι τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν
2 and to our sister Apphia and our comrade Archippus--as well as to the Church in your house.
καὶ Ἀπφίᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ τῷ συστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν καὶ τῇ κατ’ οἶκόν σου ἐκκλησίᾳ·
3 May grace be granted to you all, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
4 I give continual thanks to my God while making mention of you, my brother, in my prayers,
Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου πάντοτε μνείαν σου ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου,
5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have towards the Lord Jesus and which you manifest towards all God's people;
ἀκούων σου τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἣν ἔχεις πρὸς τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους,
6 praying as I do, that their participation in your faith may result in others fully recognizing all the right affection that is in us toward Christ.
ὅπως ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου ἐνεργὴς γένηται ἐν ἐπιγνώσει παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν εἰς Χριστόν·
7 For I have found great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of God's people have been, and are, refreshed through you, my brother.
χαρὰν γὰρ πολλὴν ἔσχον καὶ παράκλησιν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ σου, ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπέπαυται διὰ σοῦ, ἀδελφέ.
8 Therefore, though I might with Christ's authority speak very freely and order you to do what is fitting,
Διό, πολλὴν ἐν Χριστῷ παρρησίαν ἔχων ἐπιτάσσειν σοι τὸ ἀνῆκον,
9 it is for love's sake that--instead of that--although I am none other than Paul the aged, and am now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μᾶλλον παρακαλῶ, τοιοῦτος ὢν ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ,
10 I entreat you on behalf of my own child whose father I have become while in my chains--I mean Onesimus.
παρακαλῶ σε περὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τέκνου, ὃν ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς, Ὀνήσιμον,
11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now--true to his name--he is of great use to you and to me.
τόν ποτέ σοι ἄχρηστον νυνὶ δὲ καὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ εὔχρηστον, ὃν ἀνέπεμψά σοι,
12 I am sending him back to you, though in so doing I send part of myself.
αὐτόν, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα.
13 It was my wish to keep him at my side for him to attend to my wants, as your representative, during my imprisonment for the Good News.
ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου,
14 Only I wished to do nothing without your consent, so that his kind action of yours might not be done under pressure, but might be a voluntary one.
χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης οὐδὲν ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ ὡς κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν σου ᾖ ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον.
15 For perhaps it was for this reason he was parted from you for a time, that you might receive him back wholly and for ever yours; (aiōnios g166)
τάχα γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐχωρίσθη πρὸς ὥραν ἵνα αἰώνιον αὐτὸν ἀπέχῃς, (aiōnios g166)
16 no longer as a slave, but as something better than a slave--a brother peculiarly dear to me, and even dearer to you, both as a servant and as a fellow Christian.
οὐκ ἔτι ὡς δοῦλον ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ δοῦλον, ἀδελφὸν ἀγαπητόν, μάλιστα ἐμοί, πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον σοὶ καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ.
17 If therefore you regard me as a comrade, receive him as if he were I myself.
εἰ οὖν με ἔχεις κοινωνόν, προσλαβοῦ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐμέ.
18 And if he was ever dishonest or is in your debt, debit me with the amount.
εἰ δέ τι ἠδίκησέν σε ἢ ὀφείλει, τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ἐλλόγα·
19 I Paul write this with my own hand--I will pay you in full. (I say nothing of the fact that you owe me even your own self.)
ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω· ἵνα μὴ λέγω σοι ὅτι καὶ σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις.
20 Yes, brother, do me this favour for the Lord's sake. Refresh my heart in Christ.
ναί, ἀδελφέ, ἐγώ σου ὀναίμην ἐν κυρίῳ· ἀνάπαυσόν μου τὰ σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ.
21 I write to you in the full confidence that you will meet my wishes, for I know you will do even more than I say.
Πεποιθὼς τῇ ὑπακοῇ σου ἔγραψά σοι, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἃ λέγω ποιήσεις.
22 And at the same time provide accommodation for me; for I hope that through your prayers I shall be permitted to come to you.
ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἑτοίμαζέ μοι ξενίαν· ἐλπίζω γὰρ ὅτι διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν ὑμῶν χαρισθήσομαι ὑμῖν.
23 Greetings to you, my brother, from Epaphras my fellow prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus;
Ἀσπάζεταί σε Ἐπαφρᾶς ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ,
24 and from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
Μάρκος, Ἀρίσταρχος, Δημᾶς, Λουκᾶς, οἱ συνεργοί μου.
25 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with the spirit of every one of you.
Ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν.

< Philemon 1 >