\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Philemon}
{\MTB Paul’s Letter to
\par }{\MT Philemon

\par }\OneChap {\SH Introduction
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}From
Paul,
now
a
prisoner
for
Christ
Jesus,
and
from
Timothy,
a
fellow follower
of
the
Lord.
\VS{2}To
our
dear
friend
and
fellow
worker Philemon,
to
our
sister Apphia,
to
our
fellow
soldier Archippus;
and
to
the
church
that
meets
at Philemon’s
house;
\VS{3}may
God,
our
Father,
and
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
bless
you
and
give
you
peace.
\par }{\SH Request
regarding runaway
slave
\par }{\PP \VS{4}I
always
mention
you
in
my
prayers
and
thank
God
for
you,
\VS{5}because
I
hear
of
the
love
and
the
faith
which
you
show,
not
only
to
the
Lord
Jesus,
but
also
to
all
his
people;
\VS{6}and
I
pray
that
your
participation
in
the
faith
may
result
in
action,
as
you
come
to
a fuller realization
of
everything
that
is
good
and Christlike
in
us.
\VS{7}I
have
indeed
found
great
joy
and
encouragement
in
your
love,
knowing,
as
I
do,
how
the
hearts
of Christ’s
people
have
been cheered,
friend,
by
you.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}And
so,
though
my
union
with
Christ enables
me,
with
all
confidence,
to dictate
the
course
that
you
should adopt,
\VS{9}yet
the
claims
of
love
make
me
prefer
to
plead
with
you –
yes,
even
me,
Paul,
though
I
am
an
ambassador
for
Christ
Jesus
and,
now
a
prisoner
for
him
as
well.
\VS{10}I
plead
with
you
for
this
child
of
mine,
Onesimus,
to
whom,
in
my
prison,
I
have
become
a
father.
\VS{11}Once
he
was
of
little
service
to
you,
but
now
he
has
become
of
great
service,
not
only
to
you,
but
to
me
as
well;
\VS{12}and
I
am
sending
him
back
to
you
with
this
letter –
though
it
is
like
tearing
out
of
my
heart.
\VS{13}For
my
own
sake
I
should
like
to
keep
him
with
me,
so
that,
while
I
am
in
prison
for
the
good
news,
he
might
attend
to
my
wants
on
your
behalf.
\VS{14}But
I
do
not
wish
to
do
anything
without
your
consent,
because
I
want
your generosity
to
be
voluntary
and
not,
as
it
were, compulsory.
\VS{15}It
may
be
that
he
was
separated
from
you
for
an
hour,
for
this
reason,
so
that
you
might
have
him
back
for
ever,
\VS{16}no
longer
as
a
slave,
but
as
something
better –
a
dearly
loved
friend
and follower
of
the
Lord,
especially
dear
to
me,
and
how
much
more
so
to
you,
not
only
as
a
person,
but
as
your
fellow Christian!
\VS{17}If,
then,
you
count
me
your
friend,
receive
him
as
you
would
me.
\VS{18}If
he
has
caused
you
any
loss,
or
owes
you
anything,
charge
it
to
me.
\VS{19}I,
Paul,
put
my
own
hand
to
it –
I
will
repay
you
myself.
I
say
nothing
about
your owing
me
your
self.
\VS{20}Yes,
friend,
let
me
gain
something
from
you
because
of
your
union
with
the
Lord.
Cheer
my
heart
by
your Christlike
spirit.
\par }{\BB \par }{\PP \VS{21}Even
as
I
write,
I
have
such
confidence
in
your compliance
with
my
wishes,
that
I
am
sure
that
you
will
do
even
more
than
I
am
asking.
\VS{22}Please
also
get
a
lodging
ready
for
me,
for
I
hope
that
I
will
be
given
back
to
you
all
in
answer
to
your
prayers.
\par }{\SH Messages
and
Blessing
\par }{\PP \VS{23}Epaphras,
who
is
my
fellow
prisoner
for
Christ
Jesus,
sends
you
his greeting;
\VS{24}and
Marcus, Aristarchus,
Demas,
and
Luke,
my
fellow
workers,
send
theirs.
\par }{\BB \par }{\PP \VS{25}May
the
blessing
of
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
rest
on
your
souls.\par }