Galatians 4:21–5:1

Bond and Free

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 bondwoman and ^bone by the free woman.

²³But ^athe son by the bondwoman ¹was born according to the flesh, and ^bthe son by the free woman through the promise.

^241aThis is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from ^bMount Sinai bearing children ²who are to be ^cslaves; 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 bear;

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

For more numerous are the children of the desolate

Than of the one who has a husband.”

²⁸And you brethren, ^alike Isaac, are ^bchildren of promise.

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

³⁰But what does the Scripture say?

“^aCast out the bondwoman and her son,

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

³¹So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, ¹but of the free woman.

Chapter 5

Walk by the Spirit

^11aIt was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore ^bkeep standing firm and do not be subject again to a ^cyoke of slavery.