Galatians 4:21-31

Wycliffe Bible

²¹Say to me, ye that will be under the law, have ye not read the law?

²²For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one of a servant, and one of a free woman [one of the handmaiden, and one of the free wife].

²³But he that was of the servant, was born after the flesh; but he that was of the free woman, by a promise.^[a]

²⁴The which things be said by another understanding. For these be two testaments; one in the hill of Sinai, engendering into servage, which is Agar.^[b]

²⁵For Sinai is an hill that is in Arabia, which hill is joined to it that is now Jerusalem, and serveth with her children.

²⁶But that Jerusalem that is above, is free, which is our mother.

²⁷For it is written, Be glad, thou barren, that bearest not; break out and cry, that bringest forth no children [break out and cry, thou that childest not]; for many sons be of her that is left of her husband [for many sons be of the deserted, or left woman], more than of her that hath an husband.

²⁸For, brethren, we be sons of promise after Isaac; [Forsooth, brethren, we be after Isaac the sons of promise;]

²⁹but now as this that was born after the flesh pursued him that was after the Spirit, so now.^[c]

³⁰But what saith the scripture? Cast out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant shall not be heir with the son of the free wife.^[d]

³¹And so, brethren, we be not sons of the servant, but of the free wife, by which freedom Christ hath made us free.^[e]

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Footnotes

Galatians 4:23 Forsooth he that was of the handmaiden/handmaid was born after the flesh; but he that was of the free wife, was born by promise.
Galatians 4:24 Which things be said by allegory, or by another understanding. For why these things be two testaments; soothly the one in the mount Sinai, gendering into servage, that is Agar.
Galatians 4:29 but as then he that was born after the flesh pursued him that was born after the Spirit, so and now.
Galatians 4:30 But what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaiden and her son, for the son of the handmaiden/handmaid shall not be heir with the son of the free wife.
Galatians 4:31 And so, brethren, we be not sons of the handmaiden/handmaid, but of the free, by which liberty Christ hath made us free.

Galatians 4:21-31

New International Version

Hagar and Sarah

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law,^(A) are you not aware of what the law says? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman^(B) and the other by the free woman.^(C) ²³His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh,^(D) but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.^(E)

²⁴These 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. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above^(F) is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For 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.”^[a]^(G)

²⁸Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.^(H) ²⁹At that time the son born according to the flesh^(I) persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.^(J) It is the same now. ³⁰But 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.”^[b]^(K) ³¹Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman,^(L) but of the free woman.^(M)