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- ¶ PAUL, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and brother Timotheus, to Philemon our dearly beloved and our fellow worker,
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- And to our beloved Apphia and Archippus our fellow labourer, and to the congregation in your house:
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- Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
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- I thank my God and always make mention of you in my prayers,
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- Since I have heard of your faith and love, which you have toward our Lord Jesus and toward all saints,
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- That the participation of your faith may bear fruits in works, and in knowledge of everything that is good which you have in Jesus Christ.
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- For we have great joy and consolation in your love, and the hearts of the saints are refreshed.
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- ¶ For this reason, I have great boldness in Christ, to command to you those things which are right,
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- And for love’s sake I earnestly beseech you;
even I, Paul, an old man as you know, and now also a prisoner for the sake of Jesus Christ.
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- I beseech you on behalf of my son Onesimus, whom I converted during my imprisonment:
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- But of whom in the past you could not make use, but now he is very useful both to you and to me.
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- I send him to you again;
welcome him as my own child;
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- For I would have kept him with me to minister to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel;
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- But I did not wish to do anything without consulting you, that your good deeds might not be done as though by compulsion, but of your own desire.
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- Perhaps this was the reason why he left you for a while, that you can now have him for ever;
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- Henceforth not as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, and much more to you, both in the flesh and in our Lord.
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- Now, therefore, if you still count me a partner, welcome him as you would me.
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- And if he has caused you any loss or if he owes you anything, put it on my account.
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- I, Paul, have written this with my own hand;
I will repay it, not reminding you that you owe to me even your own life.
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- Indeed, my brother, let me have comfort through you in our Lord;
refresh my heart in Christ.
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- Because I have confidence in your obedience, I wrote to you knowing that you will also do more than I ask.
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- In addition to all this, prepare me a lodging;
for I hope that through your prayers I shall be spared to come to you.
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- Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Jesus Christ, salutes you;
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- So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
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- The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Amen.
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