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Philemon
Revised Geneva Translation
Philemon
Revised Geneva Translation
1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and brother Timothy, To Philemon, our dear friend and fellow helper;
2 and to dear sister Apphia, and to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
3 Grace be with you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God (making mention of you always in my prayers
5 when I hear of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints,
6 so that the fellowship of your faith may be made effective, and that whatever good thing is in you through Christ Jesus may be known).
7 For we have great joy and encouragement in your love because by you, brother, the saints’ hearts are comforted.
8 Therefore, though I am very bold in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
9 yet for love’s sake, rather, I exhort you (though I am as I am: old, and even now a prisoner for Jesus Christ)
10 I encourage you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment
11 (who in the past was unprofitable to you, but is now profitable to both you and me)
12 and whom I have sent again. Therefore, receive him who is my own heart,
13 whom I wanted to keep with me so that he might have ministered to me in your place in the bonds of the Gospel.
14 But I do not wish to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be out of necessity, but willingly.
15 Therefore, it may be that he departed for a season so that you would receive him forever
16 (no longer as a servant, but above a servant, as a beloved brother), especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord?
17 Therefore, if you count us as partners, receive him as me.
18 If he has hurt you, or owes you anything, put that on my account.
19 I, Paul, have written this with my own hand. I will repay it. Though I do not mention that even you owe me yourself.
20 Yes, brother, let me obtain this pleasure from you in the Lord. Comfort my heart in the Lord.
21 Trusting in your obedience, I wrote to you knowing that you will do even more than I say.
22 In addition, prepare lodging for me also. For I trust I shall be freely given to you through your prayers.
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you;
24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow helpers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
(Written from Rome to Philemon and sent by Onesimus, a servant.)
Philemon
New International Version
Philemon
New International Version
1 Paul, a prisoner(A) of Christ Jesus, and Timothy(B) our brother,(C)
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker(D)— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus(E) our fellow soldier(F)—and to the church that meets in your home:(G)
3 Grace and peace to you[a] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(H)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
4 I always thank my God(I) as I remember you in my prayers,(J) 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people(K) and your faith in the Lord Jesus.(L) 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement,(M) because you, brother, have refreshed(N) the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you(O) on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner(P) of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son(Q) Onesimus,[b](R) who became my son while I was in chains.(S) 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains(T) for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced(U) but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave,(V) but better than a slave, as a dear brother.(W) He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner,(X) welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.(Y) 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand.(Z) I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh(AA) my heart in Christ. 21 Confident(AB) of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be(AC) restored to you in answer to your prayers.(AD)
23 Epaphras,(AE) my fellow prisoner(AF) in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark,(AG) Aristarchus,(AH) Demas(AI) and Luke, my fellow workers.(AJ)
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.(AK)
Footnotes
- Philemon 1:3 The Greek is plural; also in verses 22 and 25; elsewhere in this letter “you” is singular.
- Philemon 1:10 Onesimus means useful.
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)
© 2019 by Five Talents Audio
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.