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.