Galatians 3:23–4:31

²³And before the coming of the faith, under law we were being kept, shut up to the faith about to be revealed, ²⁴so that the law became our child-conductor—to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous, ²⁵and the faith having come, no more under a child-conductor are we, ²⁶for ye are all sons of God through the faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for as many as to Christ were baptized did put on Christ; ²⁸there is not here Jew or Greek, there is not here servant nor freeman, there is not here male and female, for all ye are one in Christ Jesus; ²⁹and if ye are of Christ then of Abraham ye are seed, and according to promise—heirs.

Chapter 4

¹And I say, so long time as the heir is a babe, he differeth nothing from a servant—being lord of all, ²but is under tutors and stewards till the time appointed of the father, ³so also we, when we were babes, under the elements of the world were in servitude, ⁴and when the fulness of time did come, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law, ⁵that those under law he may redeem, that the adoption of sons we may receive; ⁶and because ye are sons, God did send forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ ⁷so that thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ.

⁸But then, indeed, not having known God, ye were in servitude to those not by nature gods, ⁹and now, having known God—and rather being known by God—how turn ye again unto the weak and poor elements to which anew ye desire to be in servitude? ¹⁰days ye observe, and months, and times, and years! ¹¹I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.

¹²Become as I am—because I also am as ye brethren, I beseech you; to me ye did no hurt, ¹³and ye have known that through infirmity of the flesh I did proclaim good news to you at the first, ¹⁴and my trial that is in my flesh ye did not despise nor reject, but as a messenger of God ye did receive me—as Christ Jesus; ¹⁵what then was your happiness? for I testify to you, that if possible, your eyes having plucked out, ye would have given to me; ¹⁶so that your enemy have I become, being true to you?

¹⁷They are zealous for you—yet not well, but they wish to shut us out, that for them ye may be zealous; ¹⁸and it is good to be zealously regarded, in what is good, at all times, and not only in my being present with you.

¹⁹My little children, of whom again I travail in birth, till Christ may be formed in you, ²⁰and I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you.

²¹Tell me, ye who are willing to be under law, the law do ye not hear? ²²for it hath been written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the maid-servant, and one by the free-woman, ²³but he who is of the maid-servant, according to flesh hath been, and he who is of the free-woman, through the promise; ²⁴which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar; ²⁵for this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and doth correspond to the Jerusalem that now is, and is in servitude with her children, ²⁶and the Jerusalem above is the free-woman, which is mother of us all, ²⁷for it hath been written, ‘Rejoice, O barren, who art not bearing; break forth and cry, thou who art not travailing, because many are the children of the desolate—more than of her having the husband.’ ²⁸And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise, ²⁹but as then he who was born according to the flesh did persecute him according to the spirit, so also now; ³⁰but what saith the Writing? ‘Cast forth the maid-servant and her son, for the son of the maid-servant may not be heir with the son of the free-woman;’ ³¹then, brethren, we are not a maid-servant’s children, but the free-woman’s.

Chapter 5