1 Maar ek sê: So lank as die erfgenaam 'n kind is, verskil hy niks van 'n dienskneg nie, al is hy heer van alles;
2 maar hy staan onder voogde en bestuurders tot op die tyd tevore deur die vader bepaal.
3 So was ons ook, toe ons kinders was, in diensbaarheid onder die eerste beginsels van die wêreld.
4 Maar toe die volheid van die tyd gekom het, het God sy Seun uitgestuur, gebore uit 'n vrou, gebore onder die wet,
5 om die wat onder die wet was, los te koop, sodat ons die aanneming tot kinders kan ontvang.
6 En omdat julle kinders is, het God die Gees van sy Seun in julle harte uitgestuur, en Hy roep: Abba, Vader!
7 Daarom is jy nie meer dienskneg nie, maar kind; en as jy kind is, dan ook erfgenaam van God deur Christus.
8 Maar destyds, toe julle God nie geken het nie, het julle die gedien wat van nature geen gode is nie;
9 maar nou dat julle God ken, of liewer deur God geken is, hoe keer julle weer terug tot die swakke en armoedige eerste beginsels wat julle weer van voor af aan wil dien?
10 Julle neem dae en en maande en tye en jare waar.
11 Ek vrees vir julle dat ek miskien tevergeefs aan julle gearbei het.
12 Broeders, ek bid julle, word soos ek, want ek is ook soos julle. Julle het my geen onreg aangedoen nie;
13 maar julle weet dat ek ten gevolge van krankheid van die vlees die eerste keer die evangelie aan julle verkondig het;
14 en julle het my beproewing in my vlees nie verag of verfoei nie, maar julle het my ontvang as 'n engel van God, ja, as Christus Jesus.
15 Wat was dan julle saligprysing? Want ek getuig van julle dat julle, as dit moontlik was, jul oë uitgegrawe en vir my sou gegee het.
16 Het ek dan julle vyand geword deur julle die waarheid te vertel?
17 Hulle ywer vir julle is nie goed nie, maar hulle wil ons buitesluit, sodat julle vir hulle kan ywer.
18 Dit is goed as daar altyd geywer word in 'n goeie saak en nie alleen wanneer ek by julle teenwoordig is nie,
19 my kinders, vir wie ek weer in barensnood is totdat Christus in julle 'n gestalte verkry.
20 En ek sou wens om nou by julle teenwoordig te wees en my stem te verander, want ek is buite raad met julle.
21 Julle wat onder die wet wil wees, sê vir my, luister julle nie na die wet nie?
22 Want daar is geskrywe dat Abraham twee seuns gehad het, een uit die slavin en een uit die vrye.
23 Maar die een uit die slavin is gebore na die vlees, en die ander een uit die vrye deur die belofte.
24 Dit is sinnebeelde, want die vroue staan vir twee verbonde: een, van die berg Sinai afkomstig, wat vir die slawerny kinders baar -- dit is Hagar;
25 want Hagar staan vir die berg Sinai in Arabië en kom ooreen met die teenswoordige Jerusalem en is met haar kinders saam in slawerny.
26 Maar Jerusalem daarbo is vry; en dit is die moeder van ons almal.
27 Want daar is geskrywe: Verbly jou, onvrugbare wat nie baar nie; breek uit en roep, jy wat geen barensnood het nie, want die kinders van die eensame is meer as van haar wat 'n man het.
28 Maar ons, broeders, is soos Isak, kinders van die belofte;
29 maar soos destyds hy wat na die vlees gebore is, hom wat na die Gees was, vervolg het, so is dit nou ook.
30 Maar wat sê die Skrif? Werp die slavin en haar seun uit, want nooit mag die seun van die slavin saam met die seun van die vrye erwe nie.
31 Daarom, broeders, ons is nie kinders van die slavin nie, maar van die vrye.
1 But I say that as long as the son is a child, he is in no way different from a servant, though he is lord of all;
2 But is under keepers and managers till the time fixed by the father.
3 So we, when we were young, were kept under the first rules of the world;
4 But when the time had come, God sent out his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 That he might make them free who were under the law, and that we might be given the place of sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, saying, Abba, Father.
7 So that you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, then the heritage of God is yours.
8 But at that time, having no knowledge of God, you were servants to those who by right are no gods:
9 But now that you have come to have knowledge of God, or more truly, God has knowledge of you, how is it that you go back again to the poor and feeble first things, desiring to be servants to them again?
10 You keep days, and months, and fixed times, and years.
11 I am in fear of you, that I may have been working for you to no purpose.
12 My desire for you, brothers, is that you may be as I am, because I am as you are. You have done me no wrong;
13 But you have knowledge that with a feeble body I was preaching the good news to you the first time;
14 And you did not have a poor opinion of me because of the trouble in my flesh, or put shame on it; but you took me to your hearts as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15 Where then is that happy condition of yours? because I give you witness, that, if possible, you would have taken out your eyes and given them to me.
16 So then am I no longer your friend, because I give you true words?
17 Their interest in you is not good; but their desire is that you may be shut out, so that you may go after them.
18 But it is good to have an interest in a good cause at all times, and not only when I am present with you.
19 My children, of whom I am again in birth-pains till Christ is formed in you,
20 Truly my desire is to be present with you now, using a changed voice; for I am troubled about you.
21 Say, you whose desire it is to be under the law, do you not give ear to the law?
22 Because it is in the Writings, that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant-woman, and one by the free woman.
23 Now the son by the servant-woman has his birth after the flesh; but the son by the free woman has his birth through the undertaking of God.
24 Which things have a secret sense; because these women are the two agreements; one from the mountain of Sinai, giving birth to servants, which is Hagar.
25 Now this Hagar is the mountain Sinai in Arabia, and is the image of the Jerusalem which now is: which is a servant with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem on high is free, which is our mother.
27 For it is in the Writings, You who have never given birth, be glad; give cries of joy, you who have had no birth-pains; for the children of her who has been given up by her husband are more than those of the woman who has a husband.
28 Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of the undertaking of God.
29 But as in those days he who had birth after the flesh was cruel to him who had birth after the Spirit, even so it is now.
30 What then do the Writings say? Send away the servant-woman and her son; for the son of the servant-woman will not have a part in the heritage with the son of the free woman.
31 So, brothers, we are not children of the servant-woman, but of the free woman.