aPaul, ba prisoner
of cChrist
Jesus
, and dTimothy
1our brother
,
To Philemon our beloved
brother and efellow
worker
,
and to Apphia 1 aour sister
, and to bArchippus
our cfellow
soldier
, and to dthe church
in your house
:
aGrace to you and peace
from God
our Father
and the Lord
Jesus
Christ
.
aI thank my God
always
, making
mention
of you in my prayers
,
because I ahear of your love
and of the faith
which
you have
toward
the Lord
Jesus
and toward
all
the 1saints
;
and I pray that the fellowship of your faith
may become
effective
1through
the aknowledge
of every
good
thing
which is in you 2for Christ's
sake
.
For I have come to have much
ajoy
and comfort
in your love
, because
the 1hearts
of the 2saints
have been brefreshed
through
you, brother
.
Therefore, athough I have
1enough
confidence
in Christ
to order
you to do what
is bproper
,
yet for love's sake
I rather
aappeal
to you --since I am
such
a person
as Paul
, 1the baged
, and now
also
ca prisoner
of dChrist
Jesus
--
I aappeal to you for my bchild
1 cOnesimus
, whom
I have begotten
in my 2imprisonment
,
who formerly was useless
to you, but now
is useful
both
to you and to me.
I have sent him back
to you in person
, that is, sending my very heart
,
whom I wished
to keep
with me, so
that on your behalf
he might minister
to me in my 1 aimprisonment
for the gospel
;
but without your consent
I did not want
to do
anything
, so
that your goodness
would anot be, in effect
, by compulsion
but of your own free
will
.
For perhaps ahe was for this
reason
separated
from you for a while
, that you would have
him back
forever
,
ano longer
as a slave
, but more
than
a slave
, ba beloved
brother
, especially
to me, but how
much
more
to you, both
cin the flesh
and in the Lord
.
If then
you regard
me a apartner
, accept
him as you would me.
But if he has wronged
you in any
way
or
owes
you anything
, charge
that to my account
;
aI, Paul, am writing
this with my own
hand
, I will repay
it ( bnot to 1mention
to you that you owe
to me even
your own
self
as well
).
Yes, brother
, let me benefit
from you in the Lord
; arefresh
my heart
in Christ
.
aHaving confidence
in your obedience
, I write
to you, since I know
that you will do
even
more
than
what
I say
.
At the same time
also
prepare
me a alodging
, for bI hope
that through
cyour prayers
dI will be given
to you.
aEpaphras, my bfellow
prisoner
in Christ
Jesus
, greets
you,
as do aMark, bAristarchus
, cDemas
, cLuke
, my dfellow
workers
.
aThe grace of the Lord
Jesus
Christ
be bwith your spirit
. 1