New International Reader's Version NIRV
New International Version NIV
21 You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don't you know what the law says?
21
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?
22 It is written that Abraham had two sons. The slave woman gave birth to one of them. The free woman gave birth to the other one.
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For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
23 Abraham's son by the slave woman was born in the usual way. But his son by the free woman was born because of God's promise.
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His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.
24 Those things can be taken as examples. The two women stand for two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai. It gives birth to children who are going to be slaves. It is Hagar.
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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 Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That's because she and her children are slaves.
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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 is free. She is our mother.
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But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
27 It is written, "Be glad, woman, you who have no children. Start shouting, you who have no labor pains. The woman who is all alone has more children than the woman who has a husband." (Isaiah 54:1)
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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.”
28 Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God's promise just as Isaac was.
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Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the son born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now.
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At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now.
30 But what does Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman's son will never have a share of the family's property with the free woman's son."(Genesis 21:10)
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.”
31 Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman's children. We are the free woman's children.
31
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.