Philemon 1

¹Paul a prisoner of Iesus Christ, and our brother Timotheus, vnto Philemon our deare friende, and fellowe helper,

²And to our deare sister Apphia, and to Archippus our fellowe souldier, and to the Church that is in thine house:

³Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ.

⁴I giue thanks to my God, making mention alwaies of thee in my praiers,

⁵(When I heare of thy loue and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Iesus, and towarde all Saintes)

⁶That the fellowship of thy faith may bee made effectuall, and that whatsoeuer good thing is in you through Christ Iesus, may be knowen.

⁷For we haue great ioy and consolation in thy loue, because by thee, brother, the Saintes bowels are comforted.

⁸Wherefore, though I bee very bolde in Christ to commaund thee that which is conuenient,

⁹Yet for loues sake I rather beseeche thee, though I be as I am, euen Paul aged, and euen nowe a prisoner for Iesus Christ.

¹⁰I beseeche thee for my sonne Onesimus, whome I haue begotten in my bondes,

¹¹Which in times past was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable both to thee and to me,

¹²Whome I haue sent againe: thou therefore receiue him, that is mine owne bowels,

¹³Whom I woulde haue reteined with mee, that in thy steade he might haue ministred vnto me in the bondes of the Gospel.