1 Then I say, that the heire as long as hee is a childe, differeth nothing from a seruant, though he be Lord of all, 2 But is vnder tutours and gouernours, vntil the time appointed of the Father. 3 Euen so, we when wee were children, were in bondage vnder the rudiments of the world. 4 But when the fulnesse of time was come, God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman, and made vnder the Lawe, 5 That hee might redeeme them which were vnder the Law, that we might receiue the adoption of the sonnes. 6 And because ye are sonnes, God hath sent foorth the Spirit of his Sonne into your heartes, which crieth, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore, thou art no more a seruant, but a sonne: now if thou be a sone, thou art also the heire of God through Christ. 8 But euen then, when ye knewe not God, yee did seruice vnto them, which by nature are not gods: 9 But now seeing ye knowe God, yea, rather are knowen of God, howe turne ye againe vnto impotent and beggerly rudiments, whereunto as from the beginning ye wil be in bondage againe? 10 Ye obserue dayes, and moneths, and times and yeeres. 11 I am in feare of you, lest I haue bestowed on you labour in vaine. 12 Be ye as I (for I am euen as you) brethren, I beseech you: ye haue not hurt me at all. 13 And ye know, how through infirmitie of the flesh, I preached ye Gospel vnto you at the first. 14 And the trial of me which was in my flesh, ye despised not, neither abhorred: but ye receiued me as an Angel of God, yea, as Christ Iesus. 15 What was then your felicitie? for I beare you recorde, that if it had bene possible, ye would haue plucked out your owne eyes, and haue giuen them vnto me. 16 Am I therefore become your enemie, because I tell you the trueth? 17 They are ielous ouer you amisse: yea, they woulde exclude you, that ye shoulde altogether loue them. 18 But it is a good thing to loue earnestly alwayes in a good thing, and not onely when I am present with you, 19 My litle children, of whome I trauaile in birth againe, vntill Christ be formed in you. 20 And I would I were with you nowe, that I might change my voyce: for I am in doubt of you. 21 Tell me, ye that will be vnder the Law, doe ye not heare the Lawe? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sonnes, one by a seruant, and one by a free woman. 23 But he which was of the seruant, was borne after the flesh: and he which was of the free woman, was borne by promise. 24 By the which things another thing is meant: for these mothers are the two testaments, the one which is Agar of mount Sina, which gendreth vnto bondage. 25 (For Agar or Sina is a mountaine in Arabia, and it answereth to Hierusalem which nowe is) and she is in bondage with her children. 26 But Hierusalem, which is aboue, is free: which is the mother of vs all. 27 For it is written, Reioyce thou barren that bearest no children: breake forth, and cry, thou that trauailest not: for the desolate hath many moe children, then she which hath an husband. 28 Therefore, brethren, wee are after the maner of Isaac, children of the promise. 29 But as then hee that was borne after the flesh, persecuted him that was borne after the Spirit, euen so it is nowe. 30 But what sayth the Scripture? Put out the seruant and her sonne: for the sonne of the seruant shall not be heire with the sonne of the free woman. 31 Then brethren, we are not children of the seruant, but of the free woman.
1 But now to continue—the son who will receive his father's property is treated just like a slave while he is young, even though he really owns everything. 2 While he is young, there are men who take care of him and manage his affairs until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way, we too were slaves of the ruling spirits of the universe before we reached spiritual maturity. 4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law, 5 to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God's children.
6 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father.” 7 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children.
Paul's Concern for the Galatians
8 In the past you did not know God, and so you were slaves of beings who are not gods. 9 But now that you know God—or, I should say, now that God knows you—how is it that you want to turn back to those weak and pitiful ruling spirits? Why do you want to become their slaves all over again? 10 You pay special attention to certain days, months, seasons, and years. 11 I am worried about you! Can it be that all my work for you has been for nothing?
12 I beg you, my friends, be like me. After all, I am like you. You have not done me any wrong. 13 You remember why I preached the gospel to you the first time; it was because I was sick. 14 But even though my physical condition was a great trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you received me as you would an angel from heaven; you received me as you would Christ Jesus. 15 You were so happy! What has happened? I myself can say that you would have taken out your own eyes, if you could, and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Those other people show a deep interest in you, but their intentions are not good. All they want is to separate you from me, so that you will have the same interest in them as they have in you. 18 Now, it is good to have such a deep interest if the purpose is good—this is true always, and not merely when I am with you. 19 My dear children! Once again, just like a mother in childbirth, I feel the same kind of pain for you until Christ's nature is formed in you. 20 How I wish I were with you now, so that I could take a different attitude toward you. I am so worried about you!
The Example of Hagar and Sarah
21 Let me ask those of you who want to be subject to the Law: do you not hear what the Law says? 22 It says that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman, the other by a free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the usual way, but his son by the free woman was born as a result of God's promise. 24 These things can be understood as a figure: the two women represent two covenants. The one whose children are born in slavery is Hagar, and she represents the covenant made at Mount Sinai. 25 Hagar, who stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, is a figure of the present city of Jerusalem, in slavery with all its people. 26 But the heavenly Jerusalem is free, and she is our mother. 27 For the scripture says,
“Be happy, you childless woman!
Shout and cry with joy, you who never felt the pains of childbirth!
For the woman who was deserted will have more children
than the woman whose husband never left her.”
28 Now, you, my friends, are God's children as a result of his promise, just as Isaac was. 29 At that time the son who was born in the usual way persecuted the one who was born because of God's Spirit; and it is the same now. 30 But what does the scripture say? It says, “Send the slave woman and her son away; for the son of the slave woman will not have a part of the father's property along with the son of the free woman.” 31 So then, my friends, we are not the children of a slave woman but of a free woman.