Προς Φιλημονα 1
1 Παῦλος, δέσμιος ˚Χριστοῦ ˚Ἰησοῦ, καὶ Τιμόθεος, ὁ ἀδελφὸς, Φιλήμονι, τῷ ἀγαπητῷ καὶ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν,
To my beloved friend and coworker Philemon,
2 καὶ Ἀπφίᾳ, τῇ ἀδελφῇ, καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ, τῷ συστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν, καὶ τῇ κατʼ οἶκόν σου ἐκκλησίᾳ:
to my sister Apphia, to my fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church which meets at Philemon’s house. From Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and brother Timothy.
3 χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη, ἀπὸ ˚Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ˚Κυρίου ˚Ἰησοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ.
Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ ˚Θεῷ μου πάντοτε, μνείαν σου ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου,
I am ever mentioning you in my prayers, and giving thanks to God,
5 ἀκούων σου τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἣν ἔχεις εἰς τὸν ˚Κύριον ˚Ἰησοῦν, καὶ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους,
because I am hearing of your love and of the faith which you hold, not only toward the Lord Jesus Christ, but toward all the saints.
6 ὅπως ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου, ἐνεργὴς γένηται ἐν ἐπιγνώσει παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν εἰς ˚Χριστόν.
And I pray that your participation may become effectual, as you come to acknowledge every good thing which is in you to Christ.
7 Χαρὰν γὰρ πολλὴν ἔσχον καὶ παράκλησιν, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ σου, ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπέπαυται διὰ σοῦ, ἀδελφέ.
For I have great joy and comfort in your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed.
8 Διό, πολλὴν ἐν ˚Χριστῷ παρρησίαν ἔχων, ἐπιτάσσειν σοι τὸ ἀνῆκον,
And so, although I might be bold in Christ to dictate to you what is fitting,
9 διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην μᾶλλον παρακαλῶ τοιοῦτος ὢν, ὡς Παῦλος (πρεσβύτης νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος ˚Χριστοῦ ˚Ἰησοῦ),
yet for love’s sake, I rather beseech you, I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus!
10 παρακαλῶ σε περὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ τέκνου, ὃν ἐγέννησα ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς, Ὀνήσιμον,
I beseech you for my son, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in these chains.
11 τόν ποτέ σοι ἄχρηστον, νυνὶ δὲ σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ εὔχρηστον,
Once you found him "unprofitable," but now he is "profitable" to you and to me.
12 ὃν ἀνέπεμψά σοι αὐτόν, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα,
I am sending him back to you, he himself, that is, my very heart!
13 ὃν ἐγὼ ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν κατέχειν, ἵνα ὑπὲρ σοῦ μοι διακονῇ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου,
I could wish to retain him at my side, so that he might minister to me in your stead, in my bonds for the gospel.
14 χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης, οὐδὲν ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ ὡς κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν σου ᾖ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον.
But without your consent I was unwilling to do anything, so that your kindness to me might be of your own free will, and not of compulsion.
Perhaps for this reason you were separated from him for an hour, in order that you might have him back forever, (aiōnios g166)
16 οὐκέτι ὡς δοῦλον, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ δοῦλον, ἀδελφὸν ἀγαπητόν, μάλιστα ἐμοί πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον σοὶ, καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ ἐν ˚Κυρίῳ.
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a brother beloved; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, both as a man and a fellow Christian.
17 Εἰ οὖν με ἔχεις κοινωνόν, προσλαβοῦ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐμέ.
If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.
18 Εἰ δέ τι ἠδίκησέν σε ἢ ὀφείλει, τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ἐλλόγα.
And if he has wronged you at all, or is owing you anything, charge that to me.
19 Ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω· ἵνα μὴ λέγω σοι ὅτι καὶ σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις.
I Paul am writing this in my own handwriting, "I will repay you." But I will not mention that you owe me, over and over, your very soul.
20 Ναί, ἀδελφέ, ἐγώ σου ὀναίμην ἐν ˚Κυρίῳ· ἀνάπαυσόν μου τὰ σπλάγχνα ἐν ˚Χριστῷ.
Come my brother, let me have joy in the Lord because of you! Refresh my heart in Christ!
21 Πεποιθὼς τῇ ὑπακοῇ σου, ἔγραψά σοι, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἃ λέγω, ποιήσεις.
Because I am thoroughly persuaded of your obedience, I have written you, knowing full well that you will do by me what I am asking.
22 Ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἑτοίμαζέ μοι ξενίαν, ἐλπίζω γὰρ ὅτι διὰ τῶν προσευχῶν ὑμῶν, χαρισθήσομαι ὑμῖν.
Please also prepare for me a lodging, for I am hoping by your prayers to be restored to you again.
23 Ἀσπάζεταί σε Ἐπαφρᾶς, ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου ἐν ˚Χριστῷ ˚Ἰησοῦ,
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greeting;
24 Μᾶρκος, Ἀρίσταρχος, Δημᾶς, Λουκᾶς, οἱ συνεργοί μου.
so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 Ἡ χάρις τοῦ ˚Κυρίου ἡμῶν, ˚Ἰησοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ, μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν!
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
