and to the sister Apphia and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the assembly which is in thine house.

I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, (Hearing of thy faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus,

Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;

That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,

yet out of [mutual] love, I appeal to you [to do what I ask]. For I Paul, am an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. [Note: Most calculations suggest that Paul was approximately 60 years old, which was considered a relatively advanced age in that day].

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

I am sending him back to you, which is all the same as sending my very heart.

whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news,

but I did not want to do anything without first getting your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.

Yea, brother, I wish to have joy in thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

Having confidence in your obedience I have written to you, knowing that you will do even more than those things which I say.