Galatians 4
1 Then I say, that the heire as long as hee is a childe, differeth nothing from a seruant, though he be Lord of all,
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything.
2 But is vnder tutours and gouernours, vntil the time appointed of the Father.
He is subject to guardians and trustees until the date set by his father.
3 Euen so, we when wee were children, were in bondage vnder the rudiments of the world.
So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world.
4 But when the fulnesse of time was come, God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman, and made vnder the Lawe,
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 That hee might redeeme them which were vnder the Law, that we might receiue the adoption of the sonnes.
to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.
6 And because ye are sonnes, God hath sent foorth the Spirit of his Sonne into your heartes, which crieth, Abba, Father.
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
7 Wherefore, thou art no more a seruant, but a sonne: now if thou be a sone, thou art also the heire of God through Christ.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.
8 But euen then, when ye knewe not God, yee did seruice vnto them, which by nature are not gods:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
9 But now seeing ye knowe God, yea, rather are knowen of God, howe turne ye againe vnto impotent and beggerly rudiments, whereunto as from the beginning ye wil be in bondage againe?
But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
10 Ye obserue dayes, and moneths, and times and yeeres.
You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!
11 I am in feare of you, lest I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine.
I fear for you, that my efforts for you may have been in vain.
12 Be ye as I (for I am euen as you) brethren, I beseech you: ye haue not hurt me at all.
I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.
13 And ye know, how through infirmitie of the flesh, I preached ye Gospel vnto you at the first.
You know that it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
14 And the trial of me which was in my flesh, ye despised not, neither abhorred: but ye receiued me as an Angel of God, yea, as Christ Iesus.
And although my illness was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus Himself.
15 What was then your felicitie? for I beare you recorde, that if it had bene possible, ye would haue plucked out your owne eyes, and haue giuen them vnto me.
What then has become of your blessing? For I can testify that, if it were possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
16 Am I therefore become your enemie, because I tell you the trueth?
Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 They are ielous ouer you amisse: yea, they woulde exclude you, that ye shoulde altogether loue them.
Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.
18 But it is a good thing to loue earnestly alwayes in a good thing, and not onely when I am present with you,
Nevertheless, it is good to be zealous if it serves a noble purpose—at any time, and not only when I am with you.
19 My litle children, of whome I trauaile in birth againe, vntill Christ be formed in you.
My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
20 And I would I were with you nowe, that I might change my voyce: for I am in doubt of you.
how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you.
21 Tell me, ye that will be vnder the Law, doe ye not heare the Lawe?
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand what the law says?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sonnes, one by a seruant, and one by a free woman.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23 But he which was of the seruant, was borne after the flesh: and he which was of the free woman, was borne by promise.
His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born through the promise.
24 By the which things another thing is meant: for these mothers are the two testaments, the one which is Agar of mount Sina, which gendreth vnto bondage.
These things serve as illustrations, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery: This is Hagar.
25 (For Agar or Sina is a mountaine in Arabia, and it answereth to Hierusalem which nowe is) and she is in bondage with her children.
Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.
26 But Hierusalem, which is aboue, is free: which is the mother of vs all.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
27 For it is written, Reioyce thou barren that bearest no children: breake forth, and cry, thou that trauailest not: for the desolate hath many moe children, then she which hath an husband.
For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”
28 Therefore, brethren, wee are after the maner of Isaac, children of the promise.
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 But as then hee that was borne after the flesh, persecuted him that was borne after the Spirit, euen so it is nowe.
At that time, however, the son born by the flesh persecuted the son born by the Spirit. It is the same now.
30 But what sayth the Scripture? Put out the seruant and her sonne: for the sonne of the seruant shall not be heire with the sonne of the free woman.
But what does the Scripture say? “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”
31 Then brethren, we are not children of the seruant, but of the free woman.
Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
