Galatians 4–5

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

¹In the freedom, then, with which Christ did make you free—stand ye, and be not held fast again by a yoke of servitude; ²lo, I Paul do say to you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing; ³and I testify again to every man circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law; ⁴ye were freed from the Christ, ye who in law are declared righteous; from the grace ye fell away; ⁵for we by the Spirit, by faith, a hope of righteousness do wait for, ⁶for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith through love working. ⁷Ye were running well; who did hinder you—not to obey the truth? ⁸the obedience is not of him who is calling you! ⁹a little leaven the whole lump doth leaven; ¹⁰I have confidence in regard to you in the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded; and he who is troubling you shall bear the judgment, whoever he may be. ¹¹And I, brethren, if uncircumcision I yet preach, why yet am I persecuted? then hath the stumbling-block of the cross been done away; ¹²O that even they would cut themselves off who are unsettling you!

¹³For ye—to freedom ye were called, brethren, only not the freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through the love serve ye one another, ¹⁴for all the law in one word is fulfilled—in this: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;’ ¹⁵and if one another ye do bite and devour, see—that ye may not by one another be consumed. ¹⁶And I say: In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete; ¹⁷for the flesh doth desire contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit contrary to the flesh, and these are opposed one to another, that the things that ye may will—these ye may not do; ¹⁸and if by the Spirit ye are led, ye are not under law. ¹⁹And manifest also are the works of the flesh, which are: Adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, lasciviousness, ²⁰idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, emulations, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects, ²¹envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revellings, and such like, of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that those doing such things the reign of God shall not inherit. ²²And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³meekness, temperance: against such there is no law; ²⁴and those who are Christ’s, the flesh did crucify with the affections, and the desires; ²⁵if we may live in the Spirit, in the Spirit also we may walk; ²⁶let us not become vain-glorious—one another provoking, one another envying!

Chapter 6