Philemon 14-16

Evangelical Heritage Version

¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your kindness would not be the result of compulsion, but of willingness. ¹⁵ Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while: so that you would have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. He certainly is dear to me, but he is even more of a dear brother to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.