The Exodus

³¹ During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship^(A) the Lord as you have requested. ³² Take your flocks and herds,^(B) as you have said, and go. And also bless^(C) me.”

³³ The Egyptians urged the people to hurry^(D) and leave^(E) the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”^{(F) 34} So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs^(G) wrapped in clothing. ³⁵ The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold^(H) and for clothing.^{(I) 36} The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed^(J) toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered^(K) the Egyptians.

³⁷ The Israelites journeyed from Rameses^(L) to Sukkoth.^(M) There were about six hundred thousand men^(N) on foot, besides women and children. ³⁸ Many other people^(O) went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. ³⁹ With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out^(P) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt^[a] was 430 years.^{(Q) 41} At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions^(R) left Egypt.^{(S) 42} Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.^(T)

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters,^(A) let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.^(B) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”^[a](C) meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years^(D) later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise;^(E) but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

¹⁹ Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions^(F) until the Seed^(G) to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels^(H) and entrusted to a mediator.^{(I) 20} A mediator,^(J) however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

²¹ Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not!^(K) For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.^{(L) 22} But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin,^(M) so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Children of God

²³ Before the coming of this faith,^[b] we were held in custody^(N) under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.^{(O) 24} So the law was our guardian until Christ came^(P) that we might be justified by faith.^{(Q) 25} Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.^(R)

²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God^(S) through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ^(T) have clothed yourselves with Christ.^{(U) 28} There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,^(V) nor is there male and female,^(W) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.^{(X) 29} If you belong to Christ,^(Y) then you are Abraham’s seed,^(Z) and heirs^(AA) according to the promise.^(AB)

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^(AC) under the elemental spiritual forces^[c] of the world.^{(AD) 4} But when the set time had fully come,^(AE) God sent his Son,^(AF) born of a woman,^(AG) born under the law,^{(AH) 5} to redeem^(AI) those under the law, that we might receive adoption^(AJ) to sonship.^{[d](AK) 6} Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son^(AL) into our hearts,^(AM) the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,^[e] Father.”^{(AN) 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.^(AO)