Galatians 4
1 But Y seie, as long tyme as the eir is a litil child, he dyuersith no thing fro a seruaunt, whanne he is lord of alle thingis;
To proceed, as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, though he is owner of all,
2 but he is vndur keperis and tutoris, in to the tyme determyned of the fadir.
but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.
3 So we, whanne we weren litle children, we serueden vndur the elementis of the world.
Similarly, when we were children we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
4 But aftir that the fulfilling of tyme cam, God sente his sone,
But at just the right time God sent out His Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5 maad of a womman, maad vndur the lawe, that he schulde ayenbie hem that weren vndur the lawe, that we schulden vnderfonge the adopcioun of sones.
so that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And for ye ben Goddis sones, God sente his spirit in to youre hertis, criynge, Abba, fadir.
And because you are sons, God sent out the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, calling, “Abba, Father”.
7 And so ther is not now a seruaunt, but a sone; and if he is a sone, he is an eir bi God.
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ.
8 But thanne ye vnknowynge God, serueden to hem that in kynde weren not goddis.
But at one time indeed, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those that by nature are not gods.
9 But now whanne ye han knowe God, and ben knowun of God, hou ben ye turned eftsoone to the febil and nedi elementis, to the whiche ye wolen eft serue?
But now that you know God—better, are known by God—how can you turn back to those weak, yes decidedly inferior, basic principles, to which you wish to be enslaved all over again?
10 Ye taken kepe to daies, and monethis, and tymes, and yeris.
You are observing days and months and seasons and years.
11 But Y drede you, lest without cause Y haue trauelid among you.
I fear for you, lest somehow I have labored over you in vain.
12 Be ye as Y, for Y am as ye. Britheren, Y biseche you, ye han hurt me no thing.
Brothers, I plead with you, become as I am, for I became like you. You did me no wrong.
13 But ye knowen, that bi infirmyte of fleisch Y haue prechid to you now bifore;
Rather, you know that I preached the Gospel to you the first time in spite of a physical infirmity.
14 and ye dispiseden not, nether forsoken youre temptacioun in my fleisch, but ye resseyueden me as an aungel of God, as `Crist Jhesu.
Also, you did not despise or recoil at my physical trial, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where thanne is youre blessyng? For Y bere you witnesse, that if it myyte haue be don. ye wolden haue put out youre iyen, and haue yyuen hem to me.
So what about your blessedness? Because I can testify that if it were possible you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
16 Am Y thanne maad an enemye to you, seiynge to you the sothe?
Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Thei louen not you wel, but thei wolen exclude you, that ye suen hem.
They zealously court you—not for good but intending to isolate you, so that you may seek them.
18 But sue ye the good euermore in good, and not oneli whanne Y am present with you.
Now it is good to be zealous in a good thing at any time, and not only when I am present with you.
19 My smale children, whiche Y bere eftsoones, til that Crist be fourmed in you,
My little children, for whom I am again in travail until Christ is formed in you
20 and Y wolde now be at you, and chaunge my vois, for Y am confoundid among you.
—I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone; because I am perplexed about you!
21 Seie to me, ye that wolen be vndir the lawe, `han ye not red the lawe?
Tell me, you who desire to be under law, do you not heed that law?
22 For it is writun, that Abraham hadde two sones, oon of a seruaunt, and oon of a fre womman.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons: one by the slave woman and one by the free woman.
23 But he that was of the seruaunt, was borun after the flesh; but he that was of the fre womman, by a biheeste.
However, the one by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, while the one by the free woman was through the promise.
24 The whiche thingis ben seid bi an othir vndirstonding. For these ben two testamentis; oon in the hille of Synai, gendringe in to seruage, which is Agar.
I will now allegorize them—these are two covenants: one is from Mount Sinai, bearing children into slavery, which is ‘Hagar’
25 For Syna is an hille that is in Arabie, which hille is ioyned to it that is now Jerusalem, and seruith with hir children.
(for this ‘Hagar’ is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present day Jerusalem, and is in slavery with her children);
26 But that Jerusalem that is aboue, is fre, whiche is oure modir.
while the ‘Jerusalem’ that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is writun, Be glad, thou bareyn, that berist not; breke out and crye, that bringist forth no children; for many sones ben of hir that is left of hir hosebonde, more than of hir that hath an hosebonde.
For it is written: “Rejoice, barren one, who does not give birth; break forth and shout, you who have no labor pains; because the abandoned woman has many more children than she who has the husband.”
28 For, britheren, we ben sones of biheeste aftir Isaac;
Now we, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 but now as this that was borun after the fleisch pursuede him that was aftir the spirit, so now.
But, it is the same now as it was then: the one born according to flesh persecutes the one born according to Spirit.
30 But what seith the scripture? Caste out the seruaunt and hir sone, for the sone of the seruaunt schal not be eir with the sone of the fre wijf.
However, what does the Scripture say? “Expel the slave woman and her son, because the son of the slave woman absolutely must not inherit with the son of the free woman!”
31 And so, britheren, we ben not sones of the seruaunt, but of the fre wijf, bi which fredom Crist hath maad vs fre.
So then, brothers, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.
