Philemon

International Standard Version

Greetings

¹ From:^[a] Paul, a prisoner of the Messiah^[b] Jesus, and Timothy our brother.

To: Philemon our dear friend^[c] and fellow worker, ² to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

³ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[d] be yours!^[e]

Paul’s Prayer for Philemon

⁴ I always thank my God when I mention you^[f] in my prayers, ⁵ because I keep hearing about your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus. ⁶ I pray^[g] that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours^[h] in the Messiah.^{[i] 7} For I have received considerable joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed, brother, through you.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

⁸ For this reason, although in the Messiah^[j] I have complete freedom to order you to do what is proper, ⁹ I prefer to make my appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner of the Messiah^[k] Jesus, ¹⁰ appeal to you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. ¹¹ Once he was useless to you, but now he is very useful^[l] both to you and to me. ¹² As I send him back, it’s like I’m coming along with him.^{[m] 13} I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel. ¹⁴ Yet I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be something forced, but voluntary. ¹⁵ Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you could have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but better than a slave—as a dear brother, especially to me, but even more so to you, both as a person and as a believer.^[n]

¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome^[o] me. ¹⁸ If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. (I will not mention to you that you owe me your very life.) ²⁰ Yes, brother, I desire this favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Messiah!^{[p] 21} Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you because I know that you will do even more than I ask. ²² Meanwhile, prepare a guest room for me, too, for I am hoping through your prayers to be returned to you.

Greetings from Paul’s Fellow Workers

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in the Messiah^[q] Jesus, sends you^[r] greetings, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. ²⁵ May the grace of our^[s] Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[t] be with your spirit! Amen.^[u]