CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Philemon 1 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/philemon/1.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/philemon/1-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > Philemon 1</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../titus/3.htm" title="Titus 3">◄</a> Philemon 1 <a href="../hebrews/1.htm" title="Hebrews 1">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/philemon/1.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">Greeting</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,</p><p class="regular">To Philemon our beloved fellow worker <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</p> <p class="heading">Philemon’s Love and Faith</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or for Christ's service">a</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.</p> <p class="heading">Paul’s Plea for Onesimus</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Onesimus means useful (see verse 11) or beneficial (see verse 20)">b</a></sup></span> whose father I became in my imprisonment. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>no longer as a bondservant<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse">c</a></sup></span> but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.</p> <p class="heading">Final Greetings</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/philemon/1-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">6</span> Or <i>for Christ's service</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">10</span> <i class="catch-word">Onesimus</i> means <i>useful</i> (see verse 11) or <i>beneficial</i> (see verse 20)<br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> For the contextual rendering of the Greek word <i language="Greek">doulos</i>, see <a href="../">>Preface</a>; twice in this verse<br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../titus/3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Titus 3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Titus 3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../hebrews/1.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Hebrews 1"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Hebrews 1" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/philemon/1-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>