Epistle to Philemon - The New Testament

¹ From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and from our brother Timothy; to our dear fellow worker Philemon,

² our sister Apphia, our fellow soldier Archippus and the church that meets in your house.

³ Grace and the peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I always thank my God, mentioning you in my prayers,

⁵ because I hear of the love and the faith which you have for the Lord Jesus and for all God's holy people.

⁶ I pray that your fellowship in faith may come to expression in full knowledge of all the good we can do for Christ.

⁷ I have received much joy and encouragement by your love; you have set the hearts of God's holy people at rest.

⁸ Therefore, although in Christ I have no hesitations about telling you what your duty is,

⁹ I am rather appealing to your love, being what I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

¹⁰ I am appealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean Onesimus.

¹¹ He was of no use to you before, but now he is useful both to you and to me.

¹² I am sending him back to you -- that is to say, sending you my own heart.

¹³ I should have liked to keep him with me; he could have been a substitute for you, to help me while I am in the chains that the gospel has brought me.

¹⁴ However, I did not want to do anything without your consent; it would have been forcing your act of kindness, which should be spontaneous.

¹⁵ I suppose you have been deprived of Onesimus for a time, merely so that you could have him back for ever,

¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but something much better than a slave, a dear brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both on the natural plane and in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you grant me any fellowship with yourself, welcome him as you would me;

¹⁸ if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, put it down to my account.

¹⁹ I am writing this in my own hand: I, Paul, shall pay it back -- I make no mention of a further debt, that you owe your very self to me!

²⁰ Well then, brother, I am counting on you, in the Lord; set my heart at rest, in Christ.

²¹ I am writing with complete confidence in your compliance, sure that you will do even more than I ask.

²² There is another thing: will you get a place ready for me to stay in? I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.

²³ Epaphras, a prisoner with me in Christ Jesus, sends his greetings;

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

²⁵ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.