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Deuteronomy 22-24
New American Standard Bible

Various Laws

22 “(A)You shall not see your countryman’s ox or his sheep straying away, and avoid them; you shall certainly bring them back to your countryman. 2 And if your countryman is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your house, and it shall remain with you until your countryman looks for it; then you shall restore it to him. 3 You shall also do this with his donkey, and you shall do the same with his garment, and you shall do likewise with any lost property of your countryman, which has been lost by him and you have found. You are not allowed to avoid them. 4 You shall not see your countryman’s donkey or his ox fallen down on the road, and avoid them; you shall certainly help him raise them up.

5 “A woman shall not wear a man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.

6 “If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, (B)you shall not take the mother with the young; 7 you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, (C)in order that it may go well for you and that you may prolong your days.

8 “When you build a new house, you shall make a [a]parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring guilt for bloodshed on your house if anyone falls from it.

9 “(D)You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, otherwise [b]all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the yield of the vineyard will be [c]forfeited to the sanctuary.

10 “(E)You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.

11 “(F)You shall not wear a material of wool and linen combined together.

12 “(G)You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.

Laws on Morality

13 “(H)If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then [d]turns against her, 14 and he charges her with shameful behavior and [e]publicly defames her, and says, ‘I took this woman, but when I came near her, I did not find her to have evidence of virginity,’ 15 then the girl’s father and her mother shall take and bring out the evidence of the girl’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 And the girl’s father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he [f]turned against her; 17 and behold, he has charged her with shameful behavior, saying, “I did not find your daughter to have evidence of virginity.” But [g]this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread out the garment before the elders of the city. 18 Then (I)the elders of that city shall take the man and rebuke him, 19 and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give it to the girl’s father, because he [h]publicly defamed a virgin of Israel. And she shall remain his wife; he is not allowed to [i]divorce her all his days.

20 “But if this [j](J)charge is true, and they did not find the girl to have evidence of virginity, 21 then they shall bring the girl out to the doorway of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her [k]to death, because she has (K)committed a disgraceful sin in Israel by playing the prostitute in her father’s house; so (L)you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

22 “(M)If a man is found sleeping with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who slept with the woman, and the woman; so you shall eliminate the evil from Israel.

23 “(N)If there is a girl who is a virgin [l]betrothed to a man, and another man finds her in the city and sleeps with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city and you shall stone them [m]to death: the girl, because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man, because he has violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

25 “But if the man finds the girl who is betrothed in the field, and the man seizes her and [n]rapes her, then only the man who [o]raped her shall die. 26 And you are not to do anything to the girl; there is no sin in the girl worthy of death, for just as a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, [p]so is this case. 27 When he found her in the field, the betrothed girl [q]cried out, but there was no one to save her.

28 “(O)If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and has sexual relations with her, and they are discovered, 29 then the man who had sexual relations with her shall give the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife, because he has violated her; he is not allowed to divorce her all his days.

30 “[r](P)A man shall not take [s]his father’s wife in marriage, so that he does not [t]uncover his father’s garment.

Persons Excluded from the Assembly

23 “(Q)No one who is [u]emasculated or has his male organ cut off may enter the assembly of the Lord. 2 No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the Lord; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, may enter the assembly of the Lord. 3 (R)No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, may ever enter the assembly of the Lord, 4 (S)because they did not meet you with [v]food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you (T)Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of [w]Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 Nevertheless, the Lord your God was unwilling to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God (U)turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God (V)loves you. 6 (W)You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.

7 “You shall not loathe an [x]Edomite, for (X)he is your brother; you shall not loathe an Egyptian, (Y)because you were a stranger in his land. 8 The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.

9 “When you go out as [y]an army against your enemies, you shall be on guard against every evil thing.

10 “(Z)If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he must go outside the camp; he may not [z]reenter the camp. 11 But when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may [aa]reenter the camp.

12 “You shall also have a place allocated outside the camp, so that you may go out there to relieve yourself, 13 and you shall have a [ab]spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn and cover up your excrement. 14 Since (AA)the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to save you and to [ac]defeat your enemies before you, your camp must be (AB)holy; so He must not see [ad]anything indecent among you [ae]or He will turn away from you.

15 “(AC)You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has [af]escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall live with you in your midst, in the place that he chooses in one of your [ag]towns where it pleases him; (AD)you shall not mistreat him.

17 “(AE)None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, (AF)nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the earnings of a prostitute or the money for a [ah](AG)dog into the house of the Lord your God as payment for any vowed offering, because both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.

19 “(AH)You are not to charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned on interest. 20 (AI)You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that (AJ)the Lord your God may bless you in all [ai]that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to [aj]possess.

21 “(AK)When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly require it of you, and it will be a sin [ak]for you. 22 However, if you refrain from making vows, it will not be a sin [al]for you. 23 You shall be careful and perform what goes out of your lips, since in fact you have vowed a [am]voluntary offering to the Lord your God, whatever you have [an]promised.

24 “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat grapes [ao]until you are satisfied; but you are not to put any in your [ap]basket.

25 “(AL)When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you are not to [aq]use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.

Law of Divorce

24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some (AM)indecency in her, that (AN)he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and [ar]sends her away from his house, 2 and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter husband [as]turns against her, writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand, and [at]sends her away from his house, or if the latter husband who took her to be his wife dies, 4 then her (AO)former husband who [au]sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, after [av]she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

5 “(AP)When a man takes a new wife, he is not to go out with the army, nor be assigned any duty; he shall be free at home for one year and shall (AQ)make his wife whom he has taken happy.

Various Laws

6 “No one shall seize a handmill or an upper millstone as a pledge for a loan, since he would be seizing the debtor’s [aw]means of life as a pledge.

7 “(AR)If someone is [ax]caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he treats him as merchandise and sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

8 “(AS)Be careful about an infestation of leprosy, that you are very attentive and act in accordance with everything that the Levitical priests teach you; just as I have commanded them, you shall be careful to act. 9 Remember what the Lord your God did (AT)to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

10 “(AU)When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 You shall stand outside, and the person to whom you are making the loan shall bring the pledge outside to you. 12 And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13 (AV)When the sun goes down you shall certainly return the pledge to him, so that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and (AW)it will be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.

14 “(AX)You shall not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your strangers who are in your land in your [ay]towns. 15 (AY)You shall give him his wages on his day [az]before the sun sets—for he is poor and sets his [ba]heart on it—so that (AZ)he does not cry out against you to the Lord, and it becomes a sin in you.

16 “(BA)Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.

17 “(BB)You shall not pervert the justice [bb]due a stranger or [bc]an orphan, nor (BC)seize a widow’s garment as a [bd]pledge. 18 But you are to remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

19 “(BD)When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you are not to go back to get it; it shall belong (BE)to the stranger, the [be]orphan, and to the widow, in order that the Lord your God (BF)may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 (BG)When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches [bf]again; that shall be left (BH)for the stranger, the [bg]orphan, and for the widow.

21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you are not to [bh]go over it again; that shall be left for the stranger, the [bi]orphan, and the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 22:8 I.e., a protective railing
  2. Deuteronomy 22:9 Lit the fullness
  3. Deuteronomy 22:9 Or forfeit, adj sense
  4. Deuteronomy 22:13 Lit hates her
  5. Deuteronomy 22:14 Lit brings out an evil reputation against her
  6. Deuteronomy 22:16 Lit hated her
  7. Deuteronomy 22:17 Lit these are
  8. Deuteronomy 22:19 Lit brought out an evil reputation against a virgin
  9. Deuteronomy 22:19 Lit send her away
  10. Deuteronomy 22:20 Lit matter
  11. Deuteronomy 22:21 Lit with stones so that she dies
  12. Deuteronomy 22:23 A betrothed couple was considered legally married, but did not yet live together
  13. Deuteronomy 22:24 Lit with stones so that they die
  14. Deuteronomy 22:25 Lit lies down with
  15. Deuteronomy 22:25 Lit lies down with
  16. Deuteronomy 22:26 I.e., she is only a victim
  17. Deuteronomy 22:27 I.e., presumably did so
  18. Deuteronomy 22:30 Ch 23:1 in Heb
  19. Deuteronomy 22:30 I.e., a stepmother, not his birth mother
  20. Deuteronomy 22:30 Idiom for violating his father’s marriage
  21. Deuteronomy 23:1 Lit wounded by crushing of testicles
  22. Deuteronomy 23:4 Lit bread
  23. Deuteronomy 23:4 Heb Aram-naharaim
  24. Deuteronomy 23:7 I.e., a descendant of Esau
  25. Deuteronomy 23:9 Or a camp
  26. Deuteronomy 23:10 Lit come to the midst of
  27. Deuteronomy 23:11 Lit come to the midst of
  28. Deuteronomy 23:13 Lit peg
  29. Deuteronomy 23:14 Lit give
  30. Deuteronomy 23:14 Lit nakedness of anything
  31. Deuteronomy 23:14 Lit and
  32. Deuteronomy 23:15 Lit delivered himself
  33. Deuteronomy 23:16 Lit gates in the good to him
  34. Deuteronomy 23:18 Prob. refers to a male prostitute
  35. Deuteronomy 23:20 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  36. Deuteronomy 23:20 Lit possess it
  37. Deuteronomy 23:21 Lit in you
  38. Deuteronomy 23:22 Lit in you
  39. Deuteronomy 23:23 Or freewill offering
  40. Deuteronomy 23:23 Lit spoken with your mouth
  41. Deuteronomy 23:24 Lit according to your soul, your satiation
  42. Deuteronomy 23:24 Lit container
  43. Deuteronomy 23:25 Lit brandish
  44. Deuteronomy 24:1 Or dismisses her
  45. Deuteronomy 24:3 Lit hates her
  46. Deuteronomy 24:3 Or dismisses her
  47. Deuteronomy 24:4 Or dismissed her
  48. Deuteronomy 24:4 I.e., in relationship to him
  49. Deuteronomy 24:6 Lit soul
  50. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit found stealing
  51. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit gates
  52. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit that the sun shall not go down on it
  53. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit soul
  54. Deuteronomy 24:17 Lit of
  55. Deuteronomy 24:17 Or the fatherless
  56. Deuteronomy 24:17 I.e., for a loan
  57. Deuteronomy 24:19 Or fatherless
  58. Deuteronomy 24:20 Lit after yourself
  59. Deuteronomy 24:20 Or fatherless
  60. Deuteronomy 24:21 Lit glean it after yourself
  61. Deuteronomy 24:21 Or fatherless
Listen to Deuteronomy 22-24, Galatians 4
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Deuteronomy 22-24
New International Version

22 If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner.(A) 2 If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back. 3 Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it.

4 If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey(B) or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.(C)

5 A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.

6 If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.(D) 7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go,(E) so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.(F)

8 When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.(G)

9 Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard;(H) if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.[a]

10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.(I)

11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.(J)

12 Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.(K)

Marriage Violations

13 If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her(L), dislikes her 14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,” 15 then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate(M) proof that she was a virgin. 16 Her father will say to the elders, “I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. 17 Now he has slandered her and said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.” Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, 18 and the elders(N) shall take the man and punish him. 19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels[b] of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.

20 If, however, the charge is true(O) and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing(P) in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.

22 If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept(Q) with her and the woman must die.(R) You must purge the evil from Israel.

23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.(S)

25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed,(T) there was no one to rescue her.

28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered,(U) 29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels[c] of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

30 A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.[d](V)

Exclusion From the Assembly

23 [e]No one who has been emasculated(W) by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.

2 No one born of a forbidden marriage[f] nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.

3 No Ammonite(X) or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.(Y) 4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water(Z) on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam(AA) son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim[g](AB) to pronounce a curse on you.(AC) 5 However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse(AD) into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves(AE) you. 6 Do not seek a treaty(AF) of friendship with them as long as you live.(AG)

7 Do not despise an Edomite,(AH) for the Edomites are related to you.(AI) Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.(AJ) 8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.

Uncleanness in the Camp

9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.(AK) 10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.(AL) 11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset(AM) he may return to the camp.(AN)

12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. 13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14 For the Lord your God moves(AO) about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy,(AP) so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

15 If a slave has taken refuge(AQ) with you, do not hand them over to their master.(AR) 16 Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress(AS) them.

17 No Israelite man(AT) or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.(AU) 18 You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute[h] into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.(AV)

19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.(AW) 20 You may charge a foreigner(AX) interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless(AY) you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it,(AZ) for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.(BA) 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.(BB) 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.(BC)

24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him(BD) because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,(BE) gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord(BF) your God is giving you as an inheritance.

5 If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.(BG)

6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.(BH)

7 If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die.(BI) You must purge the evil from among you.(BJ)

8 In cases of defiling skin diseases,[i] be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical(BK) priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.(BL) 9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.(BM)

10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge.(BN) 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge(BO) in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset(BP) so that your neighbor may sleep in it.(BQ) Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.(BR)

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.(BS) 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor(BT) and are counting on it.(BU) Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.(BV)

16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(BW)

17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless(BX) of justice,(BY) or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt(BZ) and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.(CA) Leave it for the foreigner,(CB) the fatherless and the widow,(CC) so that the Lord your God may bless(CD) you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.(CE) Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.(CF)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 22:9 Or be forfeited to the sanctuary
  2. Deuteronomy 22:19 That is, about 2 1/2 pounds or about 1.2 kilograms
  3. Deuteronomy 22:29 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  4. Deuteronomy 22:30 In Hebrew texts this verse (22:30) is numbered 23:1.
  5. Deuteronomy 23:1 In Hebrew texts 23:1-25 is numbered 23:2-26.
  6. Deuteronomy 23:2 Or one of illegitimate birth
  7. Deuteronomy 23:4 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  8. Deuteronomy 23:18 Hebrew of a dog
  9. Deuteronomy 24:8 The Hebrew word for defiling skin diseases, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
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Deuteronomy 21
Deuteronomy 25
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Galatians 4
New American Standard Bible

Sonship in Christ

4 Now I say, as long as the heir is a [a]child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is [b]owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and [c]managers until the [d]date set by the father. 3 So we too, when we were children, were held (A)in bondage under the [e](B)elementary principles of the world. 4 But when (C)the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, (D)born of a woman, born (E)under [f]the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under [g]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as (F)sons and daughters. 6 Because you are sons, (G)God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “(H)Abba! [h]Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and (I)if a son, then an heir [i]through God.

8 However at that time, (J)when you did not know God, you were (K)slaves to (L)those which by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be (M)known by God, (N)how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless [j](O)elementary principles, to which you want to be enslaved all over again? 10 You (P)meticulously observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [k]over you in vain.

12 I beg of you, (Q)brothers and sisters, (R)become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was because of a [l]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the [m]first time; 14 and you did not despise that which was a trial to you in my [n]bodily condition, nor express contempt, but (S)you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is [o]that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 So have I become your enemy (T)by [p]telling you the truth? 17 They eagerly seek you, not [q]in a commendable way, but they want to shut you out so that you will seek them. 18 But it is good always to be eagerly sought [r]in a commendable way, and (U)not only when I am present with you. 19 (V)My children, with whom (W)I am again in labor until (X)Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for (Y)I am at a loss about you!

Slave and Free

21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not (Z)listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (AA)one by the slave woman and (AB)one by the free woman. 23 But (AC)the son by the slave woman [s]was born according to the flesh, and (AD)the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [t](AE)This is speaking allegorically, for these women are two covenants: one coming from (AF)Mount Sinai giving birth to children [u]who are to be (AG)slaves; [v]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is enslaved with her children. 26 But (AH)the Jerusalem above is free; [w]she is our mother. 27 For it is written:

“(AI)Rejoice, infertile one, you who do not give birth;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For the children of the desolate one are more numerous
Than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 And you, brothers and sisters, (AJ)like Isaac, are (AK)children of promise. 29 But as at that time (AL)the son who was born according to the flesh (AM)persecuted the one who was born according to the Spirit, (AN)so it is even now. 30 But what does the Scripture say?

“(AO)Drive out the slave woman and her son,
For (AP)the son of the slave woman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”

31 So then, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman, but of the free woman.

Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:1 Or minor
  2. Galatians 4:1 Lit lord
  3. Galatians 4:2 Or stewards
  4. Galatians 4:2 I.e., when the child is no longer a minor
  5. Galatians 4:3 Or rudimentary teachings
  6. Galatians 4:4 Or law
  7. Galatians 4:5 Or law
  8. Galatians 4:6 I.e., Paul’s translation of the Aramaic Abba
  9. Galatians 4:7 I.e., through the gracious act of
  10. Galatians 4:9 Or rudimentary teachings
  11. Galatians 4:11 Or for
  12. Galatians 4:13 Lit weakness of the flesh
  13. Galatians 4:13 Or former
  14. Galatians 4:14 Lit flesh
  15. Galatians 4:15 I.e., considering yourselves fortunate
  16. Galatians 4:16 Or dealing truthfully with you
  17. Galatians 4:17 Or with good intentions
  18. Galatians 4:18 Or with good intentions
  19. Galatians 4:23 Lit has been born
  20. Galatians 4:24 Lit Which
  21. Galatians 4:24 Lit into slavery
  22. Galatians 4:24 Lit which
  23. Galatians 4:26 Lit which
Close NIV

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

  1. Galatians 4:3 Or under the basic principles
  2. 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.
  3. Galatians 4:6 Aramaic for Father
  4. Galatians 4:9 Or principles
  5. Galatians 4:27 Isaiah 54:1
  6. Galatians 4:30 Gen. 21:10
Next
Galatians 3
Galatians 5
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