The Bible

Philemon

¹Paul, a prisoner of AnointedOne Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear fellow worker, ²and our sister Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus AnointedOne.

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; ⁶that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in AnointedOne Jesus.

⁷For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁸So, though I have all boldness in the AnointedOne to command you what is appropriate, ⁹yet for love's sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul the old man and a prisoner for Jesus AnointedOne.

¹⁰I beg you for my child, Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains, ¹¹who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.

¹²I am sending him back. Therefore receive him who is my very heart, ¹³whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

¹⁴But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.

¹⁵So perhaps he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever, ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a dear brother, especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷If you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me; ¹⁸and if he wrongs you at all or owes you anything, put that on my account.

¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

²¹Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.

²²Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in AnointedOne Jesus, greets you, ²⁴as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵The grace of our Lord Jesus AnointedOne be with your spirit. Amen.