Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2)
1Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, 2And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house: 3Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon's Faith and Love
4I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 6That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Paul's Appeal for Onesimus
8Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, 9Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: 11Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: 12Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: 13Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 14But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. 15For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; 16Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
17If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. 18If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; 19I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. 20Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
21Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
22But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
Additional Greetings
23There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; 24Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.
25The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. {Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus a servant.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Philippians 1:1–2; Colossians 1:1–2)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker, 2 to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Faith and Love
4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; 6 that the fellowship of your faith may become effective, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus
8 Therefore, though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beg you for my child, whom I have become the father of in my chains, Onesimus, 11 who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News. 14 But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will. 15 For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides). 20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
22 Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
Additional Greetings
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(Philippians 1:1–2; Colossians 1:1–2)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your a house:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Faith and Love
4 I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6 I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ. 7 I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus
8 So although in Christ I am bold enough to order you to do what is proper, 9 I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as well.
10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, b whose father I became while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending back to you him who is my very heart.
13 I would have liked to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will. 15 For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self.
20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit c 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 ask.
22 In the meantime, prepare a guest room for me, because I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
Additional Greetings
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. d
Footnotes:
2 a You and Your are singular throughout this letter, except in verses 3, 22, and 25.
10 b Onesimus means useful (see verse 11) or beneficial (see verse 20).
20 c Greek onaimēn , a play on the name Onesimus
25 d BYZ and TR include Amen.
Greetings from Paul and Timothy
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2)
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timotheus the brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, 2and Apphia the beloved, and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and the assembly in thy house: 3Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Philemon's Faith and Love
4I give thanks to my God, always making mention of thee in my prayers, 5hearing of thy love and faith that thou hast unto the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6that the fellowship of thy faith may become working in the full knowledge of every good thing that is in you toward Christ Jesus; 7for we have much joy and comfort in thy love, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed through thee, brother.
Paul's Appeal for Onesimus
8Wherefore, having in Christ much boldness to command thee that which is fit -- 9because of the love I rather entreat, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ;
10I entreat thee concerning my child -- whom I did beget in my bonds -- Onesimus, 11who once was to thee unprofitable, and now is profitable to me and to thee, 12whom I did send again, and thou him (that is, my own bowels) receive, 13whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news, 14and apart from thy mind I willed to do nothing, that as of necessity thy good deed may not be, but of willingness, 15for perhaps because of this he did depart for an hour, that age-duringly thou mayest have him, 16no more as a servant, but above a servant -- a brother beloved, especially to me, and how much more to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord!
17If, then, with me thou hast fellowship, receive him as me, 18and if he did hurt to thee, or doth owe anything, this to me be reckoning; 19I, Paul did write with my hand, I -- I will repay; that I may not say that also thyself, besides, to me thou dost owe. 20Yes, brother, may I have profit of thee in the Lord; refresh my bowels in the Lord;
21having been confident in thy obedience I did write to thee, having known that also above what I may say thou wilt do;
22and at the same time also prepare for me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.
Additional Greetings
23Salute thee doth Epaphras, (my fellow-captive in Christ Jesus,) 24Markus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lukas, my fellow-workmen!
25The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit! Amen.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Paul’s Letter to Philemon
¹ Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Jesus Christ, 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 that meets in your home: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for Philemon
⁴ I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear about your love for all His people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. ⁶ I pray that your partnership in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. ⁷ Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
⁸ Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, ⁹ yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ—¹⁰ that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. ¹¹ Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
¹² I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the Gospel. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary.
¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother! He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow human and as a brother in the Lord.
Paul’s Request for Reconciliation
¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. ¹⁸ If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self! ²⁰ I do wish, brother, that I may have 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 ask.
Paul’s Closing Greetings
²² And one more thing: prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.
²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. ²⁴ And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Footnotes:
1.“Appeal to you on the basis of love” (verse 9) reflects Paul’s pastoral approach. Though he has authority, he appeals out of love and relationship, not through force.
2.“Onesimus” (verse 10) means “useful” or “profitable” in Greek. Paul uses a play on words here, as Onesimus, once considered useless to Philemon, has now become useful.
3.“No longer as a slave” (verse 16) was a radical idea in Paul’s time. This reflects the transformative nature of Christian brotherhood, where societal roles are transcended.
4.“If he has done you any wrong” (verse 18) indicates that Onesimus might have wronged Philemon, possibly by running away or stealing. Paul offers to cover any debt.
5.“Charge it to me” (verse 18) shows Paul’s personal commitment to reconciliation, going as far as to take on any financial debt Onesimus might owe.
6.“Owe me your very self” (verse 19) suggests that Paul was instrumental in Philemon’s spiritual transformation, possibly leading him to faith in Jesus.
7.“Refresh my heart” (verse 20) is a tender plea, expressing Paul’s hope for reconciliation and the restoration of their relationship.
