Dual Panel1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker,
2and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers,
5[because I] hear about your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.
6[I pray] that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge [of] every good [thing] that [is] in us for Christ.
7For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8Therefore, [although I] have great confidence in Christ to order you [to do what] is proper,
9instead I appeal to [you] because of love, [since I] am such a one as Paul, now an old man and also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
10I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I became the father of during my imprisonment, Onesimus.
11Once he [was] useless to you, but now [he is] useful both to you and to me,
12whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my heart,
13whom I wanted to keep with me, in order that he might serve me on behalf of you during my imprisonment for the gospel.
14But apart from your consent, I wanted to do nothing, in order that your good [deed] might be not as according to necessity, but according to [your own] free will.
15For perhaps because of this, he was separated [from you] for a time, in order that you might have him back forever,
16no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17If therefore you consider me a partner, receive him as [you would] me.
18But if in anything he has caused you loss or owes [you anything], _charge this to my account_ .
19I, Paul, write [this] with my [own] hand: I will pay it back, lest I mention to you that _you owe me even your very self besides_ .
20Yes, brother, I ought to have some benefit of you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
21Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you [because I] know that you will do even beyond what I say.
22At the same time also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
24[and so do] Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, [and] Luke, my fellow workers.
25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [be] with your spirit.