(Philippians 1:1–2; Colossians 1:1–2)
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I, Paul, am a prisoner who serves Messiah Jesus. I am here with Timothy, our fellow believer. I am writing this letter to you, Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker.
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I am also writing to Apphia, our fellow believer, and to Archippus, who is like a soldier who serves along with us. And I am writing to the group of believers that meets in your house.
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I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to act kindly toward you all. I pray that he will continue to cause you to have peace.
Philemon’s Faith and Love
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When I pray for you, I always thank God,
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because I keep hearing about how you trust in the Lord Jesus. I also hear about how you keep on loving and helping all the believers.
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I pray that because you trust in Messiah the same as we do, you may be able to know every good thing that we have to give you regarding Messiah.
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I have greatly rejoiced and have much courage because you, my dear friend, have been loving God’s people and helping them.
Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus
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So I want to ask you to do something. I am completely confident that I have the authority to command you to do what you should do, because I am an apostle of Messiah.
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But because I know that you love God’s people, I request this instead of commanding you to do it. It is I, Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner because I serve Messiah Jesus, who am requesting it.
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I request that you do something for Onesimus. He is now like a son of mine because I told him about Messiah here in prison.
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Although his name, as you know, means “useful,” he was useless to you in the past. But now he is useful both to you and to me!
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Although he is very dear to me, I am sending him back to you.
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I would like to have kept him with me, in order that he might serve me in your place. I need him because I am in prison because of my preaching the message about Messiah.
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However, because I had not yet asked you and you had not yet permitted me to keep him here with me, I decided not to keep him here. I decided that you should help me only if you really want to help me.
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Perhaps the reason that God permitted Onesimus to be separated from you was so you could have him back forever!
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You will no longer have him only as a slave. Instead, you will have him as someone who is more than a slave. You will have him as a fellow believer! He is very dear to me, but he certainly will be even more dear to you. This is because now he not only belongs to you as a slave, but he also belongs to the Lord.
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So if you believe that you and I are doing God’s work together, welcome him as you would welcome me.
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If he has done you any kind of harm, or if he is in debt to you, let me take the responsibility for that.
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I, Paul, am now writing this in my own handwriting: I will repay you what he owes you. I could say to you that you owe me even more than Onesimus owes you, because what I told you saved your own life.
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Indeed, my brother, let me benefit from you because of the Lord. Since we are both joined to Messiah, make my heart glad.
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I have written this letter to you, because I am sure that you will do what I am asking you to do. In fact, I know that you will do even more than what I am asking you to do.
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Also, get a guest room ready for me to stay in, because I confidently expect that as a result of your prayers for me, I will be released from prison and will come to you all.
Additional Greetings
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Epaphras, who is suffering with me in prison because he is joined to Messiah Jesus, sends his greetings to you.
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Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, who are my other fellow workers, also send their greetings to you.
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I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be kind to you.
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