Philemon 1:12-16 ▼

12 I am sending him back to you—I am sending my very own heart.

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

14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will.

15 For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently,

16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.