| | 1 | Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,
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| | 2 | to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:
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| | 3 | Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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| | 4 | I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
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| | 5 | hearing of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;
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| | 6 | that the fellowship of your faith may become effective, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us, in Christ Jesus.
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| | 7 | For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
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| | 8 | Therefore, though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
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| | 9 | yet for love's sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus.
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| | 10 | I beg you for my child, whom I have fathered in my bonds, Onesimus,
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| | 11 | who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me;
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| | 12 | I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
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| | 13 | whom I wanted to keep with me, that in your behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the gospel.
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| | 14 | But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
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| | 15 | For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever,
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| | 16 | no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, specially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
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| | 17 | If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
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| | 18 | But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.
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| | 19 | I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).
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| | 20 | Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
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| | 21 | Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
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| | 22 | Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
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| | 23 | Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
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| | 24 | as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
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| | 25 | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
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