Introductory remarks
1
📚Paul, a prisoner✭ of Jesus Christ and Timothy✭ our brother, To Philemon✭ our dear brother and fellow worker, 2 📚and to our dear Apphia✭ and Archippus✭, our fellow soldier✭, and to the church in your house✭:3 📚Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prayer and thanksgiving for Philemon
4 📚I thank my God, always mentioning you in my prayers, 5 📚for I hear of your love and faith which you have for the Lord Jesus and for all saints, 6 📚that the sharing of your faith may become effective by knowing✭ every good thing that is in you in Christ✭ Jesus.
Philemon’s loving behavior was an encouragement to Paul
7 📚For we have great joy and encouragement in your love because the hearts of the saints✭ are refreshed✭ by you, brother.
Paul’s request concerning Onesimus
8 📚✭Therefore, though I could be very bold in Christ to order you to do what is fitting, 9 📚yet instead, for love’s sake, I appeal to you as Paul an old man✭ and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. 10 📚I appeal to you on behalf of my son✭ Onesimus; in my chains I have become his father. 11 📚✭In time past he was not profitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
12 📚I have sent him back to you. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart✭. 13 📚✭I wanted to keep him with me, so that in your place he could be of service to me in the bonds of the gospel, 14 📚but without knowing your mind I would do nothing, so that your good deed would not be like something forced, but voluntary. 15 📚For perhaps he left you for a time that you might receive him for ever, 16 📚not now as a slave✭, but more than a slave, a dear brother✭, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the body and in the Lord?
17 📚✭So if you count me a partner, receive him as myself. 18 📚If he has wronged you, or owes you anything, put that to my account. 19 📚I Paul have written this with my own hand, I will pay it back; but I do not need to tell you that you owe me even your very self✭. 20 📚✭Yes, brother, let me rejoice in the Lord because of you. Refresh✭ my heart in the Lord. 21 📚I have confidence in your obedience✭ and so write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Paul’s request concerning himself
22 📚✭Moreover, prepare a place for me to stay, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.
Closing remarks
23 📚Epaphras✭, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 📚as do Marcus✭, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas✭, my fellow workers.
25 📚The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.