Philemon 1:4-16

Philemon's Love and Faith

4 1I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
5 because I 2hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the [a]saints;
6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective [b]through the 3knowledge of every good thing which is in you [c]for Christ's sake.
7 For I have come to have much 4joy and comfort in your love, because the [d]hearts of the [e]saints have been 5refreshed through you, brother.
8 Therefore, 6though I have [f]enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is 7proper,
9 yet for love's sake I rather 8appeal to you-since I am such a person as Paul, [g] the 9 aged, and now also10 a prisoner of 11 Christ Jesus -

Plea for Onesimus, a Free Man

10 I 12appeal to you for my 13child [h]14Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my [i]imprisonment,
11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,
13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my [j]15imprisonment for the gospel;
14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would 16not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.
15 For perhaps 17he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever,
16 18no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, 19a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both 20in the flesh and in the Lord.

Cross References 20

  • 1. Romans 1:8
  • 2. Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:6
  • 3. Philippians 1:9; Colossians 1:9; Colossians 3:10
  • 4. 2 Corinthians 7:4, 13
  • 5. 1 Corinthians 16:18; Philemon 20
  • 6. 2 Corinthians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:6
  • 7. Ephesians 5:4
  • 8. Romans 12:1
  • 9. Titus 2:2
  • 10. Philemon 1
  • 11. Galatians 3:26; 1 Timothy 1:12; Philemon 23
  • 12. Romans 12:1
  • 13. 1 Corinthians 4:14
  • 14. Colossians 4:9
  • 15. Philippians 1:7; Philemon 10
  • 16. 2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Peter 5:2
  • 17. Genesis 45:5, 8
  • 18. 1 Corinthians 7:22
  • 19. Matthew 23:8; 1 Timothy 6:2
  • 20. Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22

Footnotes 10

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