¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,

¹Pauro musungwa waKristu Jesu naTimotio hama, kuna Firimoni mudiwa wedu zvikuru nemushumiri pamwe nesu,

²to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:

²nekumudiwa Apifia, naAkipo, muuto pamwe nesu, nekukereke iri mumba mako;

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Nyasha kwamuri nerugare rwunobva kuna Mwari baba vedu naIshe Jesu Kristu.

⁴I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

⁴Ndinovonga Mwari wangu, ndichikureva nguva dzose paminyengetero yangu,

⁵hearing of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;

⁵ndichinzwa zverudo rwako nerutendo rwaunarwo kuna Ishe Jesu nekuvatsvene vose,

⁶that the fellowship of your faith may become effective, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.

⁶kuti kudyidzana kwerutendo rwako kuve nesimba pakugamuchira chinhu chipi nechipi chakanaka chiri mamuri muna Kristu Jesu.

⁷For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁷Nekuti tine mufaro mukuru nekunyaradzwa murudo rwako, nekuti moyo yevatsvene yakavandudzwa newe, hama.

⁸Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,

⁸Naizvozvo kunyange ndingashinga zvikuru muna Kristu kukuraira izvo zvakafanira,

⁹yet for love’s sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

⁹zvakadaro nekuda kwerudo zviri nani kukukumbirisai, zvandakadai hangu, ini Pauro mutana, uye zvinowo musungwa waJesu Kristu.

¹⁰I beg you for my child, whom I have become the father of in my chains, Onesimus, Onesimus means “useful.”

¹⁰Ndinokukumbirisa pamusoro pemwana wangu, wandakabereka muzvisungo zvangu Onesimo,

¹¹who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.

¹¹wakange asingambokubatsiri, asi zvino unobatsira iwe neni;

¹²I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,

¹²wandatumirazve kwauri; naizvozvo iwe umugamuchire uyo ndiko kuti moyo wangu;

¹³whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

¹³wandaida kuramba naye, kuti panzvimbo yako andishumire pazvisungo zveevhangeri;

¹⁴But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.

¹⁴asi handina kuda kuita chinhu iwe usati watenda, kuti zvakanaka zvako zvaungaita zvirege kuitwa nekurovererwa, asi nechido.

¹⁵For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever,

¹⁵Nekuti zvimwe wakaparadzaniswa newe chinguva nemhaka iyi, kuti ugozova naye nekusingaperi;

¹⁶no 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.

¹⁶arege kuzova zvino semuranda, asi unopfuura muranda, hama inodikamwa zvikuru kwandiri, asi zvikuru sei kwauri. zvose panyama nemuna Ishe.

¹⁷If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.

¹⁷Naizvozvo kana uchindiverenga seumwe wako, umugamuchire sezvaungandigamuchira ini.

¹⁸But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.

¹⁸Asi kana akakutadzira, kunyange ane ngava newe, undiravire ini izvozvo.

¹⁹I, 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).

¹⁹Ini Pauro ndanyora noruoko rwangu ndomene, ndicharipa; kuti ndirege kuti kwauri, unengava kwandiri newewo womene.

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

²⁰Hongu hama, ngandive nemufaro pamusoro pako muna Ishe; uvandudze moyo wangu muna Ishe.

²¹Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.

²¹Ndakunyorera ndichivimba kuteerera kwako, ndichiziva kuti uchaitawo kupfuura zvandinoreva.

²²Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

²²Asi ipapo ndigadzirirewo pekugara; nekuti ndinotarisira kuti kubudikidza neminyengetero yenyu ndichapiwa kwamuri.

²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

²³Unokukwazisai Epafrasi musungwa pamwe neni muna Kristu Jesu.

²⁴as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁴Mako, Arisitako, Dhemasi, Ruka, vabati pamwe neni.

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

²⁵Nyasha dzaIshe wedu Jesu Kristu ngadzive nemweya wenyu.