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Philemon · King James Version (with Apocrypha)

Philemon 1 King James Version (with Apocrypha)

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About KJV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Textus Receptus
  • Protestant, with the Apocrypha
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1611
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

KJV King James Version (with Apocrypha)
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy [our] brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,
2 And to [our] beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
2 to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:
3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
5 hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
6 that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.
7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
7 For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
8 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
8 Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
9 Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech [thee], being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains,
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
11 who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
12 I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
13 whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.
14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
14 But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
15 For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever,
16 Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
17 If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth [thee] ought, put that on mine account;
18 But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account.
19 I Paul have written [it] with mine own hand, I will repay [it]: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).
20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
22 Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.
24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with your spirit. Amen.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Apphia

    Sister addressed with Philemon

    Addressed by Paul together with Philemon and Archippus in the letter to Philemon.

    Cited in the guide: Philemon 2

    See in the family tree

  • Archippus

    Fellow soldier of Paul

    Called by Paul his fellow soldier and told to complete the ministry he received in the Lord.

    Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:17; Philemon 2

    See in the family tree

  • Demas

    Coworker of Paul

    A coworker of Paul who sends greetings from Rome, but later deserted him because he loved the present world.

    Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10; Philemon 24

    See in the family tree

  • Epaphras

    Founder of the Colossian church

    A faithful minister of Christ who taught the Colossians, wrestled for them in prayer, and was Paul's fellow prisoner.

    Cited in the guide: Colossians 1:7; Colossians 4:12; Philemon 23

    See in the family tree

  • Onesimus

    Runaway slave of Philemon

    A slave who became a believer through Paul in prison and whom Paul sent back to Philemon as a beloved brother.

    Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:9; Philemon 10

    See in the family tree

  • Philemon

    Beloved coworker of Paul

    The believer to whom Paul wrote on behalf of Onesimus; a church met in his house.

    Cited in the guide: Philemon 1

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Cross references (25)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Philippians 2:25; Ephesians 3:1; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 9; 1 Corinthians 3:9
  2. 2 Philippians 2:25; Colossians 4:17; Romans 16:5; Colossians 4:15; 2 Timothy 2:3–4
  3. 3 Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
  4. 4 Romans 1:8; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:3; Philippians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:3
  5. 5 Colossians 1:4; Ephesians 1:15; Psalm 16:3; 1 John 5:1–2; 1 Corinthians 16:1
  6. 6 2 Peter 1:8; Philippians 1:9–11; Colossians 1:9; 1 Peter 1:5–8; Matthew 5:16
  7. 7 2 Corinthians 7:13; 2 Corinthians 7:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:9; 3 John 3–6; 1 Thessalonians 2:19
  8. 8 1 Thessalonians 2:6; 2 Corinthians 10:8; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 10:1–2; 1 Thessalonians 2:2
  9. 9 2 Corinthians 5:20; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 4:1; Ephesians 3:1; Philemon 1–25
  10. 10 Colossians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 4:15; Galatians 4:19; 1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4
  11. 11 2 Timothy 4:11; Job 30:1–2; 1 Peter 2:10; Luke 15:32; Romans 3:12
  12. 12 Matthew 6:14–15; Ephesians 4:32; Luke 15:20; Mark 11:25; Jeremiah 31:20
  13. 13 Ephesians 3:1; Philippians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 16:17; Philippians 2:30; Philemon 1
  14. 14 2 Corinthians 9:7; 1 Peter 5:2–3; 1 Chronicles 29:17; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 8:12
  15. 15 Genesis 50:20; Genesis 45:5–8; Isaiah 20:6; Acts 4:28
  16. 16 Colossians 3:22; Matthew 23:8; 1 Timothy 6:2; 1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:5–7
  17. 17 2 Corinthians 8:23; Matthew 10:40; Philemon 12; Matthew 18:5; Ephesians 3:6
  18. 18 Isaiah 53:4–7
  19. 19 Galatians 6:11; 1 Corinthians 16:21–22; Galatians 5:2; James 5:19–20; 1 Corinthians 4:15
  20. 20 Philemon 7; 3 John 4; Hebrews 13:17; Philemon 12; 1 Thessalonians 3:7–9
  21. 21 2 Thessalonians 3:4; 2 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 7:16; Galatians 5:10; 2 Corinthians 8:22
  22. 22 2 Corinthians 1:11; Philippians 2:24; 2 John 12; Acts 28:23; Philippians 1:19
  23. 23 Colossians 1:7; Colossians 4:12; Romans 16:7; Colossians 4:10
  24. 24 Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:10–11; Colossians 4:14; Acts 12:12; Acts 15:37–39
  25. 25 2 Timothy 4:22; Galatians 6:18; Romans 16:20; Romans 16:23

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

Articles and answers on this site that cite Philemon.

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Commentary 1 John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philemon (Homily I)

    These things are said to a master in behalf of a servant. Immediately at the outset, he has pulled down his spirit, and not suffered him to be ashamed, he has quenched his anger; calling himself a prisoner, he strikes him with compunction, and makes him collect himself, and makes it appear that present things are nothing.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)