Philemon - Chapter 1 | English Standard Version

  • 1. Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker
  • 2. and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:
  • 3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • 4. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,
  • 5. because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,
  • 6. and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.
  • 7. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
  • 8. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,
  • 9. yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus--
  • 10. I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.
  • 11. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
  • 12. I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.
  • 13. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,
  • 14. but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.
  • 15. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,
  • 16. no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
  • 17. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.
  • 18. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.
  • 19. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.
  • 20. Yes, brother, I want 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 say.
  • 22. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
  • 23. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,
  • 24. and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
  • 25. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
أعلى