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Galatians 4
Wycliffe Bible
Galatians 4
Wycliffe Bible
4 But I say, as long time as the heir is a little child, he diverseth nothing from a servant, when he is lord of all things [when he is lord of all];
2 but he is under keepers and tutors, into the time determined of the father.[a]
3 So we, when we were little children, we served under the elements of the world. [So and we, when we were little, were serving under the elements of the world.]
4 But after that the fulfilling of the time came, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 that he should again-buy them that were under the law, that we should receive the adoption of sons.
6 And for ye be God's sons, God sent his Spirit into your hearts [God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts], crying, Abba, Father.
7 And so there is not now a servant, but a son; and if he is a son, he is an heir by God. [Therefore now there is not servant, but son; that if son, then and heir by God.]
8 But then ye not knowing God [But then soothly ye unknowing God], served to them that in kind were not gods.
9 But now when ye have known God, and be known of God, how be ye turned again to the feeble and needy elements, to the which ye will again serve? [Now forsooth when ye have known God, yea, rather ye be known of God, how be ye turned together again to sick, or frail, and needy elements, to which ye will serve again?]
10 Ye take keep to days [Ye keep, or wait (on), days], and months, and times, and years.
11 But I dread you, lest without cause I have travailed among you [lest peradventure I have travailed in you without cause].
12 Be ye as I, for I am as ye. Brethren, I beseech you, ye have hurt me nothing [ye have nothing hurt me].
13 But ye know, that by infirmity of flesh I have preached to you [I have evangelized to you] now before;
14 and ye despised not, neither forsook your temptation in my flesh [and your temptation in my flesh ye despised not, neither forsook], but ye received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
15 Where then is your blessing [Where is therefore your blessedness, that ye had before time]? For I bear you witness, that if it might have been done, ye would have put out your eyes, and have given them to me.
16 Am I then made an enemy to you, saying to you the sooth? [Therefore am I made enemy to you, saying true thing to you?]
17 They love not you well [They love you not well], but they will exclude you, that ye follow them.
18 But follow ye the good evermore in good, and not only when I am present with you.
19 My small children, which I bear again, till that Christ be formed in you, [My little sons, whom I child, or bring forth by travail, again, till Christ be formed in you,]
20 and I would now be at you, and change my voice, for I am confounded among you [for I am confounded, or shamed, in you].
21 Say to me, ye that will be under the law, have ye not read the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one of a servant, and one of a free woman [one of the handmaiden, and one of the free wife].
23 But he that was of the servant, was born after the flesh; but he that was of the free woman, by a promise.[b]
24 The which things be said by another understanding. For these be two testaments; one in the hill of Sinai, engendering into servage, which is Agar.[c]
25 For Sinai is an hill that is in Arabia, which hill is joined to it that is now Jerusalem, and serveth with her children.
26 But that Jerusalem that is above, is free, which is our mother.
27 For it is written, Be glad, thou barren, that bearest not; break out and cry, that bringest forth no children [break out and cry, thou that childest not]; for many sons be of her that is left of her husband [for many sons be of the deserted, or left woman], more than of her that hath an husband.
28 For, brethren, we be sons of promise after Isaac; [Forsooth, brethren, we be after Isaac the sons of promise;]
29 but now as this that was born after the flesh pursued him that was after the Spirit, so now.[d]
30 But what saith the scripture? Cast out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant shall not be heir with the son of the free wife.[e]
31 And so, brethren, we be not sons of the servant, but of the free wife, by which freedom Christ hath made us free.[f]
Footnotes
- Galatians 4:2 but he is under tutors and keepers, till to/unto the time determined of the father.
- Galatians 4:23 Forsooth he that was of the handmaiden/handmaid was born after the flesh; but he that was of the free wife, was born by promise.
- Galatians 4:24 Which things be said by allegory, or by another understanding. For why these things be two testaments; soothly the one in the mount Sinai, gendering into servage, that is Agar.
- Galatians 4:29 but as then he that was born after the flesh pursued him that was born after the Spirit, so and now.
- Galatians 4:30 But what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaiden and her son, for the son of the handmaiden/handmaid shall not be heir with the son of the free wife.
- Galatians 4:31 And so, brethren, we be not sons of the handmaiden/handmaid, but of the free, by which liberty Christ hath made us free.
Galatians 4
New International Version
Galatians 4
New International Version
4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery(A) under the elemental spiritual forces[a] of the world.(B) 4 But when the set time had fully come,(C) God sent his Son,(D) born of a woman,(E) born under the law,(F) 5 to redeem(G) those under the law, that we might receive adoption(H) to sonship.[b](I) 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son(J) into our hearts,(K) the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[c] Father.”(L) 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.(M)
Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 Formerly, when you did not know God,(N) you were slaves(O) to those who by nature are not gods.(P) 9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God(Q)—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces[d]? Do you wish to be enslaved(R) by them all over again?(S) 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!(T) 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.(U)
12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters,(V) become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness(W) that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.(X) 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?(Y)
17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.(Z) 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.(AA) 19 My dear children,(AB) for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,(AC) 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Hagar and Sarah
21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law,(AD) are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman(AE) and the other by the free woman.(AF) 23 His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,(AG) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.(AH)
24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above(AI) is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”[e](AJ)
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.(AK) 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh(AL) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.(AM) It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”[f](AN) 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,(AO) but of the free woman.(AP)
Footnotes
- Galatians 4:3 Or under the basic principles
- Galatians 4:5 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.
- Galatians 4:6 Aramaic for Father
- Galatians 4:9 Or principles
- Galatians 4:27 Isaiah 54:1
- Galatians 4:30 Gen. 21:10
Galatians 4
King James Version
Galatians 4
King James Version
4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
2001 by Terence P. Noble
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.