1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy ①our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,
▷ ①Lit the
1:2 and to Apphia ①our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
▷ ①Lit the
1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
1:5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the ①saints;
▷ ①Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
1:6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective ①through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you ②for the sake of Christ.
▷ ①Or in ②Lit toward Christ
1:7 For I have had great joy and comfort in your love, because the ①hearts of the ②saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
▷ ①Lit inward parts ②See note v 5
1:8 Therefore, though I have ①enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,
▷ ①Lit much
1:9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, ①an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—
▷ ①Or an ambassador
1:10 I appeal to you for my ①son ②Onesimus, whom I ③fathered in my ④imprisonment,
▷ ①Or child ②I.e., useful ③I.e., led to the Lord ④Lit bonds
1:11 who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
1:12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,
1:13 whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my ①imprisonment for the gospel;
▷ ①Lit bonds
1:14 but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will.
1:15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever,
1:16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
1:17 If then you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.
1:18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account;
1:19 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to ①mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).
▷ ①Lit say
1:20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
1:21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.
1:22 At the same time also prepare me a guest room, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.
1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
1:24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
1:25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. ①
▷ ①One early ms adds Amen