| 1 | And I say, so long time as the heir is a babe, he differeth nothing from a servant—being lord of all, |
| 2 | but is under tutors and stewards till the time appointed of the father, |
| 3 | so also we, when we were babes, under the elements of the world were in servitude, |
| 4 | and when the fulness of time did come, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law, |
| 5 | that those under law he may redeem, that the adoption of sons we may receive; |
| 6 | and because ye are sons, God did send forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!' |
| 7 | so that thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. |
| 8 | But then, indeed, not having known God, ye were in servitude to those not by nature gods, |
| 9 | and 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? |
| 10 | days ye observe, and months, and times, and years! |
| 11 | I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you. |
| 12 | Become as I [am]—because I also [am] as ye brethren, I beseech you; to me ye did no hurt, |
| 13 | and ye have known that through infirmity of the flesh I did proclaim good news to you at the first, |
| 14 | and 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; |
| 15 | what then was your happiness? for I testify to you, that if possible, your eyes having plucked out, ye would have given to me; |
| 16 | so that your enemy have I become, being true to you? |
| 17 | they are zealous for you—[yet] not well, but they wish to shut us out, that for them ye may be zealous; |
| 18 | and [it is] good to be zealously regarded, in what is good, at all times, and not only in my being present with you; |
| 19 | my little children, of whom again I travail in birth, till Christ may be formed in you, |
| 20 | and I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you. |
| 21 | Tell me, ye who are willing to be under law, the law do ye not hear? |
| 22 | for it hath been written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the maid-servant, and one by the free-woman, |
| 23 | but he who [is] of the maid-servant, according to flesh hath been, and he who [is] of the free-woman, through the promise; |
| 24 | which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar; |
| 25 | for this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and doth correspond to the Jerusalem that now [is], and is in servitude with her children, |
| 26 | and the Jerusalem above is the free-woman, which is mother of us all, |
| 27 | for 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.' |
| 28 | And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise, |
| 29 | but as then he who was born according to the flesh did persecute him according to the spirit, so also now; |
| 30 | but 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;' |
| 31 | then, brethren, we are not a maid-servant's children, but the free-woman's. |