Galatians 4

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;	1 What I am saying is this: an heir, during the time while he is stil under age, is no different from a slave,even though he is the owner of al the property;
2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.	2 he is under the control of guardians and administrators until the time fixed by his father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:	3 So too with us, as long as we were stil under age, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of thisworld;
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,	4 but when the completion of the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of theLaw,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.	5 to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive adoption as sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.	6 As you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son 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.	7 and so you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir, by God's own act.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.	8 But formerly when you did not know God, you were kept in slavery to things which are not really gods atal ,
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?	9 whereas now that you have come to recognise God -- or rather, be recognised by God -- how can younow turn back again to those powerless and bankrupt elements whose slaves you now want to be al overagain?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.	10 You are keeping special days, and months, and seasons and years-
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.	11 I am beginning to be afraid that I may, after al , have wasted my efforts on you.
12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.	12 I urge you, brothers,-be like me, as I have become like you. You have never been unfair to me;
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.	13 indeed you remember that it was an il ness that first gave me the opportunity to preach the gospel toyou,
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.	14 but though my il ness was a trial to you, you did not show any distaste or revulsion; instead, youwelcomed me as a messenger of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
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.	15 What has happened to the utter contentment you had then? For I can testify to you that you wouldhave plucked your eyes out, were that possible, and given them to me.
16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?	16 Then have I turned into your enemy simply by being truthful with you?
17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.	17 Their devotion to you has no praiseworthy motive; they simply want to cut you off from me, so that youmay centre your devotion on them.
18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.	18 Devotion to a praiseworthy cause is praiseworthy at any time, not only when I am there with you.
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,	19 My children, I am going through the pain of giving birth to you al over again, until Christ is formed inyou;
20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.	20 and how I wish I could be there with you at this moment and find the right way of talking to you: I amquite at a loss with you.
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?	21 Tell me then, you are so eager to be subject to the Law, have you listened to what the Law says?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.	22 Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl and one by the freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.	23 The son of the slave girl came to be born in the way of human nature; but the son of the freewomancame to be born through a 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.	24 There is an al egory here: these women stand for the two covenants. The one given on Mount Sinai --that is Hagar, whose children are born into slavery;
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.	25 now Sinai is a mountain in Arabia and represents Jerusalem in its present state, for she is in slaverytogether with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.	26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and that is the one that is our mother;
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.	27 as scripture says: Shout for joy, you barren woman who has borne no children! Break into shouts ofjoy, you who were never in labour. For the sons of the forsaken one are more in number than the sons of thewedded wife.
28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.	28 Now you, brothers, are like Isaac, children of the 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.	29 just as at that time, the child born in the way of human nature persecuted the child born through theSpirit, so 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.	30 But what is it that scripture says? Drive away that slave girl and her son; the slave girl's son is not toshare the inheritance with the son of the freewoman.
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.	31 So, brothers, we are the children not of the slave girl but of the freewoman.