Philemon 1:1-13 ▼

1 From: Paul, a prisoner of the Messiah Jesus, and Timothy our brother. To: Philemon our dear friend 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, be yours!

4 I always thank my God when I mention you 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 that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours in the Messiah.

7 For I have received considerable joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed, brother, through you.

8 For this reason, although in the Messiah 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 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 both to you and to me.

12 As I send him back, it's like I'm coming along with him.

13 I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel.