1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker,
2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.
4 I 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.
7 For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8 Therefore, [although I] have great confidence in Christ to order you [to do what] is proper,
9 instead 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.
10 I am appealing to you concerning my child whom I became the father of during my imprisonment, Onesimus.
11 Once he [was] useless to you, but now [he is] useful to you and to me,
12 whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my heart,
13 whom I wanted to keep with me, in order that he might serve me on behalf of you during my imprisonment for the gospel.
14 But 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.
15 For perhaps because of this, he was separated [from you] for a time, in order 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 If therefore you consider me a partner, receive him as [you would] me.
18 But if in anything he has caused you loss or owes [you anything], {charge this to my account}.
19 I, 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}.
20 Yes, brother, I ought to have some benefit of you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you [because I] know that you will do even beyond what I say.
22 At the same time also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.