The King James Bible (1769 Standard Text)

Paul's short letter to Philemon on behalf of the runaway slave Onesimus. This page gives the book complete in the King James Version of 1611 as standardised in 1769, the text of virtually every KJV printed since, in the spelling of that text. Words the translators supplied for sense are in italics, as the KJV prints them.

Chapter 1

1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,

2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:

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,

5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all 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.

7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.

8 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,

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.

10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.

15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;

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?

17 If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.

18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine 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.

20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.

22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;

24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Written from Rome to Philemon, by Onesimus, a servant.

Colophon

This page is an archival transcription, not a Good Works Translation. Its text is the King James Version (the Authorized Version, first printed in London by Robert Barker in 1611) in the standardised form that descends from Benjamin Blayney's Oxford edition of 1769, the form in which the KJV has been printed ever since. It was converted from the USFM files of "King James Version + Apocrypha" (eng-kjv) published by eBible.org courtesy of the CrossWire Bible Society (source files dated 26 Sep 2026). That digital text names no single printed copy, and modern printings of the 1769 text still differ from one another in a handful of readings. Spelling and punctuation are the source's own, including the paragraph marks (¶). The conversion removed only markup: Strong's-number tags and paragraph and poetry layout codes. Words printed in italic type in the KJV, which the translators supplied for sense, are in italics here; the words of Jesus, which the source marks for red-letter display, are plain text; LORD, printed in small capitals, is set in capitals. The digital source carries no marginal notes for the New Testament, although printed KJVs have them, nor the cross-references or chapter summaries; none are given here.

Licence: public domain. In the United Kingdom the Crown's letters patent still restrict the printing of the Authorized Version; outside the UK the text is free.

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