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Philemon 1:8-21 — Paul's Plea for Onesimus

Phlm.1.8-21

⁸Therefore, although I have much boldness in Christ to command you to do what is proper, ⁹I rather appeal to you on the basis of love—being such a one as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— ¹⁰I appeal to you for my child, whom I fathered in chains, Onesimus. ¹¹He was formerly useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me. ¹²I am sending him back to you, that is, my very heart . ¹³I wanted to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he might serve me in the chains of the gospel. ¹⁴But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of compulsion, but of your own free will. ¹⁵For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a short time, so that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. ¹⁷So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would me. ¹⁸But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge this to me. ¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self. ²⁰Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹Being confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than what I say.

Translation Notes

4/11/2026

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