LEB - Philemon - 1

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

1:2  and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4  I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers,

1:5  because I hear about your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.

1:6  I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing that is in us for Christ.

1:7  For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

1:8  Therefore, although I have great confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

1:9  instead I appeal to you because of love, since I am such a one as Paul, now an old man and also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

1:10  I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I became the father of during my imprisonment, Onesimus.

1:11  Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to you and to me,

1:12  whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my heart,

1:13  whom I wanted to keep with me, in order that he might serve me on behalf of you during my imprisonment for the gospel.

1:14  But apart from your consent, I wanted to do nothing, in order that your good deed might be not as according to necessity, but according to your own free will.

1:15  For perhaps because of this, he was separated from you for a time, in order that you might have him back forever,

1:16  no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

1:17  If therefore you consider me a partner, receive him as you would me.

1:18  But if in anything he has caused you loss or owes you anything, ⌞charge this to my account⌟.

1:19  I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will pay it back, lest I mention to you that ⌞you owe me even your very self besides⌟.

1:20  Yes, brother, I ought to have some benefit of you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

1:21  Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you because I know that you will do even beyond what I say.

1:22  At the same time also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

1:23  Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

1:24  and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

1:25  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.