Philemon 1:3; Philemon 1:4; Philemon 1:5; Philemon 1:6; Philemon 1:7; Philemon 1:8; Philemon 1:9; Philemon 1:10; Philemon 1:11; Philemon 1:12; Philemon 1:13; Philemon 1:14; Philemon 1:15; Philemon 1:16; Philemon 1:17; Philemon 1:18; Philemon 1:19; Philemon 1:20; Philemon 1:21; Philemon 1:22; Philemon 1:23; Philemon 1:24

Philemon 1:3

3 May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Philemon 1:4

4 Philemon, I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers

Philemon 1:5

5 because I've heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God's people.

Philemon 1:6

6 I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ.

Philemon 1:7

7 I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God's people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.

Philemon 1:8

8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to command you to do the right thing,

Philemon 1:9

9 I would rather appeal to you through love. I, Paul—an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus—

Philemon 1:10

10 appeal to you for my child Onesimus. I became his father in the faith during my time in prison.

Philemon 1:11

11 He was useless to you before, but now he is useful to both of us.

Philemon 1:12

12 I'm sending him back to you, which is like sending you my own heart.

Philemon 1:13

13 I considered keeping him with me so that he might serve me in your place during my time in prison because of the gospel.

Philemon 1:14

14 However, I didn't want to do anything without your consent so that your act of kindness would occur willingly and not under pressure.

Philemon 1:15

15 Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever—

Philemon 1:16

16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—that is, as a dearly loved brother. He is especially a dearly loved brother to me. How much more can he become a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord!

Philemon 1:17

17 So, if you really consider me a partner, welcome Onesimus as if you were welcoming me.

Philemon 1:18

18 If he has harmed you in any way or owes you money, charge it to my account.

Philemon 1:19

19 I, Paul, will pay it back to you (I'm writing this with my own hand). Of course, I won't mention that you owe me your life.

Philemon 1:20

20 Yes, brother, I want this favor from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.

Philemon 1:21

21 I'm writing to you, confident of your obedience and knowing that you will do more than what I ask.

Philemon 1:22

22 Also, one more thing—prepare a guest room for me. I hope that I will be released from prison to be with you because of your prayers.

Philemon 1:23

23 Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the cause of Christ Jesus, greets you,

Philemon 1:24

24 as well as my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.