Galatians 4:21–5:1

Hagar and Sarah

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law,^z are you not aware of what the law says? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^a and the other by the free woman.^{b 23}His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^c but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^d

²⁴These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above^e is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,

you who never bore a child;

shout for joy and cry aloud,

you who were never in labor;

because more are the children of the desolate woman

than of her who has a husband.”^ef

²⁸Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^{g 29}At that time the son born according to the flesh^h persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.ⁱ It is the same now. ³⁰But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”^{fj 31}Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^k but of the free woman.^l

Freedom in Christ

5It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.^m Stand firm,ⁿ then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.^o