Philemon 1:9

I would rather appeal ¹  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ²  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ³  –

yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul— an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you —since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you. So take this as a request from your friend Paul, an old man, now in prison for the sake of Christ Jesus.

but I'd rather make it a personal request.

Still, because of love, in place of an order, I make a request to you, I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner of Christ Jesus:

yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you ––being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ––

I would rather appeal ¹  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ²  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ³  –

¹ tn Or “encourage.”

² tn Or perhaps “an ambassador” (so RSV, TEV), reading πρεσβευτής for πρεσβύτης (a conjecture proposed by Bentley, cf. BDAG 863 s.v. πρεσβύτης). NRSV reads “old man” and places “ambassador” in a note.

³ tn Grk “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”