Philemon 1

¹Paul the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and brother Timothee: to Philemon the beloved and our coadjutor,

²and to Appia our dearest sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier and to the church which is in thy house.

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I give thanks to my God, always making a memory of thee in my prayers,

⁵hearing thy charity & faith which thou hast in our Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints:

⁶that the communication of thy faith may be made evident in the agnition of all good that is in you in Christ Jesus.

⁷For I have had great joy and consolation in thy charity, because the bowels of the saints have rested by thee brother.

⁸For the which thing having great confidence in Christ Jesus to command thee that which pertaineth to the purpose:

⁹for charity rather I beseech, whereas thou art such an one, as Paul being old and now prisoner also of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰I beseech thee for my son whom I have begotten in bands, Onesimus,

¹¹who hath been sometime unprofitable to thee, but now profitable both to me and thee,

¹²whom I have sent back to thee. And do thou receive him as mine own bowels.

¹³Whom I would have retained with me, that for thee he might minister to me in the bands of the Gospel:

¹⁴but without thy counsel I would do nothing: that thy good might be not as it were of necessity, but voluntary.

¹⁵For perhaps therefore he departed for a season from thee, that thou mightest take him again for ever.

¹⁶Now not as a servant, but for a servant, a most dear brother, especially to me, but how much more to thee both in the flesh and in our Lord?

¹⁷If therefore thou take me for thy fellow; receive him as myself.

¹⁸And if he hath hurt thee any thing or is in thy debt, that impute to me.

¹⁹I Paul have written with mine own hand: I will repay it: not to say to thee, that thou owest me thine own self also.

²⁰Yea brother. God grant I may enjoy thee in our Lord. Refresh my bowels in our Lord.

²¹Trusting in thy obedience I have written to thee, knowing that thou wilt do above that also which I do say.

²²And withal provide me also a lodging. For I hope by your prayers that I shall be given to you.

²³There salute thee Epaphras my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus,

²⁴Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke my coadjutors.

²⁵The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.