Chapter text
World English Bible
Verse-by-verse text with stable anchors, canonical chapter URLs, and copyable verse links.
- 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.
- 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.
- 8 Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
- 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
- 10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains,
- 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.
- 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.