1  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved fellow worker.

2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

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

4  I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,

6 and I pray that the generosity of your faith may become effective through the fuller knowledge of every good thing which is in you in Christ.

7 For I have had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

8  Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

9  yet on the basis of love I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus–

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whom I fathered in my imprisonment,

11 who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart,

13 whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the    gospel;

14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,

16 no 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. 

17 Therefore, if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.

18 Now if he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge that to me. 

19  I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it— to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.

20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,

24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

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