Philemon 1:1-16 ▼

1 From Paul, who is a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy. To our dear coworker Philemon,

2 our sister Apphia, our fellow soldier Archippus, and the church that meets in your house.

3 Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

4 [Philemon,] I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers because

5 I hear about your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people.

6 As you share the faith you have in common with others, I pray that you may come to have a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Christ.

7 Your love [for God's people] gives me a lot of joy and encouragement. You, brother, have comforted God's people.

8 Christ makes me bold enough to order you to do the right thing.

9 However, I would prefer to make an appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus,

10 appeal to you for my child Onesimus [Useful]. I became his spiritual father here in prison.

11 Once he was useless to you, but now he is very useful to both of us.

12 I am sending him back to you. This is like sending you a part of myself.

13 I wanted to keep him here with me. Then he could have served me in your place while I am in prison for spreading the Good News.

14 Yet, I didn't want to do anything without your consent. I want you to do this favor for me out of your own free will without feeling forced to do it.

15 Maybe Onesimus was gone 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. He is especially dear to me, but even more so to you, both as a person and as a Christian.