New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

1

Sons and Heirs

Now I say, As long as the heir is a child, he differs nothing from a bondman, though he be lord of all;

2

They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.

2

but he is under guardians and stewards until the period fixed by the father.

3

And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principlesa of this world.

3

So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the principles of the world;

4

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

4

but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, come of woman, come under law,

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God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.b

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that he might redeem those under law, that we might receive sonship.

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And because wec are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”d

6

But because ye are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

7

Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.e And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

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So thou art no longer bondman, but son; but if son, heir also through God.

8

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist.

8

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

But then indeed, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods;

9

So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?

9

but now, knowing God, but rather being known by God, how do ye turn again to the weak and beggarly principles to which ye desire to be again anew in bondage?

10

You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years.

10

Ye observe days and months and times and years.

11

I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.

11

I am afraid of you, lest indeed I have laboured in vain as to you.

12

Dear brothers and sisters,f I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles — free from those laws.
You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you.

12

Be as *I* [am], for *I* also [am] as *ye*, brethren, I beseech you: ye have not at all wronged me.

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Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News.

13

But ye know that in weakness of the flesh I announced the glad tidings to you at the first;

14

But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself.

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and my temptation, which [was] in my flesh, ye did not slight nor reject with contempt; but ye received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.

15

Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible.

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What then [was] your blessedness? for I bear you witness that, if possible, plucking out your own eyes ye would have given [them] to me.

16

Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

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So I have become your enemy in speaking the truth to you?

17

Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.

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They are not rightly zealous after you, but desire to shut you out [from us], that ye may be zealous after them.

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If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

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But [it is] right to be zealous at all times in what is right, and not only when I am present with you --

19

Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.

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my children, of whom I again travail in birth until Christ shall have been formed in you:

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I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.

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and I should wish to be present with you now, and change my voice, for I am perplexed as to you.

21

Abraham’s Two Children

Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says?

21

Hagar and Sarah

Tell me, ye who are desirous of being under law, do ye not listen to the law?

22

The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.g

22

For it is written that Abraham had two sons; one of the maid servant, and one of the free woman.

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The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

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But he [that was] of the maid servant was born according to flesh, and he [that was] of the free woman through the promise.

24

These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.

24

Which things have an allegorical sense; for these are two covenants: one from mount Sinai, gendering to bondage, which is Hagar.

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And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia,h because she and her children live in slavery to the law.

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For Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which [is] now, for she is in bondage with her children;

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But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.

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but the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother.

27

As Isaiah said,
“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”i

27

For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break out and cry, thou that travailest not; because the children of the desolate are more numerous than [those] of her that has a husband.

28

And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac.

28

But *ye*, brethren, after the pattern of Isaac, are children of promise.

29

But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

29

But as then he that was born according to flesh persecuted him [that was born] according to Spirit, so also [it is] now.

30

But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”j

30

But what says the scripture? Cast out the maid servant and her son; for the son of the maid servant shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.

31

So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

31

So then, brethren, we are not maid servant's children, but [children] of the free woman.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Galatians 4

Galatians 4