Philemon 1

VIN^{(i) 1} Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, ² to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers; ⁵ because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. ⁶ that the fellowship of your faith may operate in a full knowledge of every good thing in you in Christ Jesus. ⁷ I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. ⁸ Hence, although in Christ I would feel quite free to order you to do your duty, ⁹ I prefer to appeal to you on the ground of love. Well then, as Paul the old man, who now-a-days is a prisoner for Christ Jesus, ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains. ¹¹ Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. ¹² So receive him, who is my very heart ¹³ —I would have liked to keep him with me, so that he might minister to me in your place, while I’m in chains for the Gospel, ¹⁴ but I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your contribution might be voluntary, not as an imposition. ¹⁵ Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, that you might have him back for ever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but better than a slave as a dear brother, especially to me, but even more so to you, both as a person and as a believer. ¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸ If he has caused you any loss, or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will pay it backnot to mention that you owe me even your own self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹ Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. ²² And get ready to entertain me too, for I hope that I shall be restored to you, in answer to your prayers. ²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, ²⁴ and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. ²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.