Galatians 4
1 My point is this — As long as the heir is under age, there is no difference between him and a slave, though he is master of the whole estate.
让我解释一下自己所说的。尽管继承人可能拥有一切，但未成年的继承人与奴隶无异。
2 He is subject to the control of guardians and stewards, during the period for which his father has power to appoint them.
继承人在父亲设定的时间前，需要受监护人和管理人的约束。
3 And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world;
我们也一样。当我们还是孩子时，就像受律法基本规则约束的奴隶。
4 but, when the full time came, God sent his Son — born a woman’s child, born subject to Law —
但在恰当的时间，上帝派他的儿子前来，一个女人根据律法规则将其诞生，
5 To ransom those who were subject to Law, so that we might take our position as sons.
以便他可以拯救那些被律法束缚之人，让我们可以作为养子得到应得的遗产。
6 And it is because you are sons that God sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, with the cry — ‘Abba, our Father.’
为表明你是上帝的孩子，上帝差遣其子之灵来说服我们，让我们呼唤其“阿爸”，即“父亲。”
7 You, therefore, are no longer a slave, but a son; and, if a son, then an heir also, by God’s appointment.
你们现在已经不再是奴隶，而是孩子。如果你是上帝的孩子，上帝就已经让你们成为他的继承人。
8 Yet formerly, in your ignorance of God, you became slaves to ‘gods’ which were no gods.
你们还不知道上帝的时候，曾被这个世界上所谓的“神”所奴役。
9 But now that you have found God — or, rather, have been found by him — how is it that you are turning back to that poor and feeble puerile teaching, to which yet once again you are wanting to become slaves?
但现在你们知道了上帝——或者更好的表达是：上帝知道了你们。那你们怎么又会掉头去信那些无用和毫无价值的规则呢？你们想再次成为那些规则的奴隶吗？
10 You are scrupulous in keeping Days and Months and Seasons and Years!
你们关注的是特殊的日子和月份、季节和年份。
11 You make me fear that the labour which I have spent on you may have been wasted.
我担心为你们所做的一切，都白费了！
12 I entreat you, Brothers, to become like me, as I became like you. You have never done me any wrong.
朋友们，我恳求你们：要像我一样，因为我已经变得像你们一样。你们从未以不好的方式对待我。
13 You remember that it was owing to bodily infirmity that on the first occasion I told you the Good News.
还记得我第一次造访、向你们分享福音吗？当时我生病了。
14 And as for what must have tried you in my condition, it did not inspire you with scorn or disgust, but you welcomed me as if I had been an angel of God — or Christ Jesus himself!
尽管我的病对你们而言很麻烦，但你们并没有轻视或拒绝我——事实上，你们视我为上帝的天使，就像基督耶稣自己一样。
15 What has become then, of your blessings? For I can bear witness that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me!
那么你们的感激之情产生了什么结果？我告诉你，那时候如果要你们把眼睛掏出来给我，你们也会的！
16 Am I to think, then, that I have become your enemy by telling you the truth?
那么发生了什么事——我告诉你们真相，是不是成了你们的敌人？
17 Certain people are seeking your favour, but with no honourable object. No, indeed, they want to isolate you, so that you will have to seek their favour.
这些人渴望获得你们的支持，但可不是出于什么好理由。相反，他们想让你们远离我们，这样你们就会热情地支持他们。
18 It is always honourable to have your favour sought in an honourable cause, and not only when I am with you, my dear children —
想做善事当然很好。但应该时刻做善事，而不是只在我与你们在一起的时候！
19 You for whom I am again enduring a mother’s pains, till a likeness to Christ shall have been formed in you.
我亲爱的朋友们，我想和你们一起工作，直到你们身上也拥有了基督的品格。
20 But I could wish to be with you now and speak in a different tone, for I am perplexed about you.
我真心希望自己现在能和你在一起，这样我就可以改变我的语气......我很担心你们。
21 Tell me, you who want to be still subject to Law — Why do not you listen to the Law?
你们这些想要按照律法生活的人，请回答我的这个问题：你们听到律法在说什么吗？
22 Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of the free woman.
正如经文所说，亚伯拉罕有两个儿子，一个是婢女所生，一个是自由之身的妇人所生。
23 But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfilment of a promise.
但婢女的儿子是按照人类的计划出生，自由女性的儿子诞生则是承诺的而生结果。
24 This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two Covenants. One Covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar
这里有一个类比：这两位妇人代表了两个约定。一份约定来自西奈山，婢女夏甲生下了奴隶的孩子。
25 (The word Hagar meaning in Arabia Mount Sinai) and it ranks with the Jerusalem of to-day, for she and her children are in slavery.
夏甲象征着阿拉伯的西奈山，即现在的耶路撒冷，因为她和她的孩子们都是奴隶。
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother.
但天上的耶路撒冷却是自由的。她就是我们的母亲。
27 For Scripture says — ‘Rejoice, thou barren one, who dost never bear, Break into shouts, thou who art never in labour, For many are the children of her who is desolate — aye, more than of her who has a husband.’
正如经文所说：“如果你们没有孩子、没有生育过，你们应该感到欢喜！如果你们未曾分娩，那么欢呼吧，因为弃妇的孩子比有丈夫的女人还多！”
28 As for ourselves, brothers, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfilment of a promise.
现在我的朋友们，我们就像以撒一样，是承诺生下的孩子。
29 Yet at that time the child born in the course of nature persecuted the child born by the power of the Spirit; and it is the same now.
然而，按照人的意愿出生的人，会迫害通过灵出生的人，今天也是如此。
30 But what does the passage of Scripture say? ‘Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave’s son shall not be co-heir with the son of the free woman.’
经文怎么说的？“把婢女和她的儿子打发走，因为婢女的儿子不能和自由妇人的儿子一起成为继承人。”
31 And so, Brothers, we are not children of a slave, but of her who is free.
因此，我的朋友们，我们不是婢女的孩子，而是自由女性的孩子。
