Galatians 4

1I want to tell you this: While the one who will inherit his father’s property is still a child, he is no different from a slave. It does not matter that the child owns everything. 2While he is a child, he must obey those who are chosen to care for him. But when the child reaches the age set by his father, he is free. 3It is the same for us. We were once like children. We were slaves to the useless rules of this world. 4But when the right time came, God sent his Son. His Son was born of a woman and lived under the law. 5God did this so that he could buy freedom for those who were under the law. His purpose was to make us his children.

6And you are God’s children. That is why God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. The Spirit cries out, “Father, dear Father.”# Literally, “Abba, Father.” Jewish children called their fathers “Abba.” 7So now you are not a slave; you are God’s child, and God will give you what he promised, because you are his child.

Paul’s Love for the Christians

8In the past you did not know God. You were slaves to gods that were not real. 9But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again? 10You still follow teachings about special days, months, seasons, and years. 11I am afraid for you. I fear that my work for you has been wasted.

12Brothers, I was like you; so I beg you to become like me. You were very good to me before. 13You remember that I came to you the first time because I was sick. That was when I preached the Good News to you. 14Though my sickness was a trouble for you, you did not hate me or make me leave. But you welcomed me as an angel from God, as if I were Jesus Christ himself! 15You were very happy then. Where is that joy now? I remember that you would have taken out your eyes and given them to me if that were possible. 16Now am I your enemy because I tell you the truth?

17Those people# They are the false teachers who were bothering the believers in Galatia (Galatians 1:7). are working hard to persuade you. But this is not good for you. They want to persuade you to turn against us. They want you to follow only them. 18It is good for people to show interest in you, but only if their purpose is good. This is always true. It is true when I am with you and when I am away. 19My little children, again I feel pain for you as a mother feels when she gives birth. I will feel this until you truly become like Christ. 20I wish I could be with you now. Then maybe I could change the way I am talking to you. Now I do not know what to do about you.

The Example of Hagar and Sarah

21Some of you people still want to be under the law of Moses. Tell me, do you know what the law says? 22The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons. The mother of one son was a slave woman. The mother of the other son was a free woman. 23Abraham’s son from the slave woman was born in the normal human way. But the son from the free woman was born because of the promise God made to Abraham.

24This makes a picture for us. The two women are like the two agreements between God and men. One agreement is the law that God made on Mount Sinai.# Mountain in Arabia where God gave his laws to Moses (Exodus 19 and 20). The people who are under this agreement are like slaves. The mother named Hagar is like that agreement. 25She is like Mount Sinai in Arabia and is a picture of the earthly Jewish city of Jerusalem. This city is a slave, and all its people are slaves to the law. 26But the heavenly Jerusalem which is above is like the free woman. She is our mother. 27It is written in the Scriptures:

“Be happy, Jerusalem.

You are like a woman who never gave birth to children.

Start singing and shout for joy.

You never felt the pain of giving birth to children.

But you will have more children

than the woman who has a husband.” Isaiah 54:1

28My brothers, you are God’s children because of his promise, as Isaac was then. 29The son who was born in the normal way treated the other son badly. It is the same today. 30But what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son! The son of the free woman will receive everything his father has. But the son of the slave woman will receive nothing.”# Quotation from Genesis 21:10. 31So, my brothers, we are not children of the slave woman. We are children of the free woman.

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Galatians 4: ICB

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