Galatians 4:21–5:1

An Allegory of Two Covenants

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not ^alisten to the Law?

²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, ^aone by the servant-woman and ^bone by the free woman.

²³But ^athe son by the servant-woman had been born according to the flesh, while ^bthe son by the free woman through the promise.

^241aThis is ²spoken with allegory, for these women are two covenants: one from ^bMount Sinai bearing children into ^cslavery; ³she is Hagar.

²⁵Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

²⁶But ^athe Jerusalem above is free; ¹she is our mother.

²⁷For it is written,

“^aRejoice, barren woman who does not give birth;

Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;

For more numerous are the children of the desolate one

Than of the one who has a husband.”

²⁸And you brothers, ^ain accordance with Isaac, are ^bchildren of promise.

²⁹But as at that time ^ahe who was born according to the flesh ^bwas persecuting him who was born according to the Spirit, ^cso it is now also.

³⁰But what does the Scripture say?

“^aCast out the servant-woman and her son,

For ^bthe son of the servant-woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”

³¹So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant-woman, ¹but of the free woman.

CHAPTER 5

Christ Set Us Free

^11aIt was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, ^bstand firm and do not be subject again to a ^cyoke of slavery.