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;
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.
2 but he is vndur keperis and tutoris, in to the tyme determyned of the fadir.
He is subject to the control of guardians and stewards, during the period for which his father has power to appoint them.
3 So we, whanne we weren litle children, we serueden vndur the elementis of the world.
And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world;
4 But aftir that the fulfilling of tyme cam, God sente his sone,
but, when the full time came, God sent his Son – born a woman’s child, born subject to 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.
to ransom those who were subject to Law, so that we might take our position as sons.
6 And for ye ben Goddis sones, God sente his spirit in to youre hertis, criynge, Abba, fadir.
And it is because you are sons that God sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, with the cry – ‘Abba, our 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.
You, therefore, are no longer a slave, but a son; and, if a son, then an heir also, by God’s appointment.
8 But thanne ye vnknowynge God, serueden to hem that in kynde weren not goddis.
Yet formerly, in your ignorance of God, you became slaves to ‘gods’ which were no 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 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?
10 Ye taken kepe to daies, and monethis, and tymes, and yeris.
You are scrupulous in keeping days and months and seasons and years!
11 But Y drede you, lest without cause Y haue trauelid among you.
You make me fear that the labor which I have spent on you may have been wasted.
12 Be ye as Y, for Y am as ye. Britheren, Y biseche you, ye han hurt me no thing.
I entreat you, friends, to become like me, as I became like you. You have never done me any wrong.
13 But ye knowen, that bi infirmyte of fleisch Y haue prechid to you now bifore;
You remember that it was owing to bodily infirmity that on the first occasion I told you the good news.
14 and ye dispiseden not, nether forsoken youre temptacioun in my fleisch, but ye resseyueden me as an aungel of God, as `Crist Jhesu.
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!
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.
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!
16 Am Y thanne maad an enemye to you, seiynge to you the sothe?
Am I to think, then, that I have become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Thei louen not you wel, but thei wolen exclude you, that ye suen hem.
Certain people are seeking your favor, but with no honorable object. No, indeed, they want to isolate you, so that you will have to seek their favor.
18 But sue ye the good euermore in good, and not oneli whanne Y am present with you.
It is always honorable to have your favor sought in an honorable cause, and not only when I am with you, my dear children –
19 My smale children, whiche Y bere eftsoones, til that Crist be fourmed in you,
you for whom I am again enduring a mother’s pains, until a likeness to Christ will have been formed in you.
20 and Y wolde now be at you, and chaunge my vois, for Y am confoundid among you.
But I could wish to be with you now and speak in a different tone, for 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 want to be still subject to Law – Why don’t you listen to the Law?
22 For it is writun, that Abraham hadde two sones, oon of a seruaunt, and oon of a fre womman.
Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of 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.
But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfillment of a 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.
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.
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.
Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and represents the Jerusalem of today, for she and her children are in slavery.
26 But that Jerusalem that is aboue, is fre, whiche is oure modir.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother.
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 scripture says – ‘Rejoice, you barren one, who have never given birth, break into shouts, you who are never in labor, for many are the children of her who is desolate – yes, more than of her who has a husband.’
28 For, britheren, we ben sones of biheeste aftir Isaac;
As for ourselves, friends, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfillment of a promise.
29 but now as this that was borun after the fleisch pursuede him that was aftir the spirit, so now.
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.
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.
But what does the passage of scripture say? ‘Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave’s son will not be coheir 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.
And so, friends, we are not children of a slave, but of her who is free.
