1. From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and colaborer,
2. to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house.
3. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
4. I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers,
5. because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
6. I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.
7. I have had great joy and encouragement because of your love, for the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8. So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper,
9. I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus –
10. I am appealing to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become during my imprisonment, that is, Onesimus,
11. who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me.
12. I have sent him (who is my very heart) back to you.
13. I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.
14. However, without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness.
15. For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally,