Parallel Bible results for "galatians 4"

Galatians 4

The Bible in Basic English BBE

1 But I say that as long as the son is a child, he is in no way different from a servant, though he is lord of all;

2 But is under keepers and managers till the time fixed by the father.

3 So we, when we were young, were kept under the first rules of the world;

4 But when the time had come, God sent out his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 That he might make them free who were under the law, and that we might be given the place of sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, saying, Abba, Father.

7 So that you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, then the heritage of God is yours.

8 But at that time, having no knowledge of God, you were servants to those who by right are no gods:

9 But now that you have come to have knowledge of God, or more truly, God has knowledge of you, how is it that you go back again to the poor and feeble first things, desiring to be servants to them again?

10 You keep days, and months, and fixed times, and years.

11 I am in fear of you, that I may have been working for you to no purpose.

12 My desire for you, brothers, is that you may be as I am, because I am as you are. You have done me no wrong;

13 But you have knowledge that with a feeble body I was preaching the good news to you the first time;

14 And you did not have a poor opinion of me because of the trouble in my flesh, or put shame on it; but you took me to your hearts as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

15 Where then is that happy condition of yours? because I give you witness, that, if possible, you would have taken out your eyes and given them to me.

16 So then am I no longer your friend, because I give you true words?

17 Their interest in you is not good; but their desire is that you may be shut out, so that you may go after them.

18 But it is good to have an interest in a good cause at all times, and not only when I am present with you.

19 My children, of whom I am again in birth-pains till Christ is formed in you,

20 Truly my desire is to be present with you now, using a changed voice; for I am troubled about you.

21 Say, you whose desire it is to be under the law, do you not give ear to the law?

22 Because it is in the Writings, that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant-woman, and one by the free woman.

23 Now the son by the servant-woman has his birth after the flesh; but the son by the free woman has his birth through the undertaking of God.

24 Which things have a secret sense; because these women are the two agreements; one from the mountain of Sinai, giving birth to servants, which is Hagar.

25 Now this Hagar is the mountain Sinai in Arabia, and is the image of the Jerusalem which now is: which is a servant with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem on high is free, which is our mother.

27 For it is in the Writings, You who have never given birth, be glad; give cries of joy, you who have had no birth-pains; for the children of her who has been given up by her husband are more than those of the woman who has a husband.

28 Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of the undertaking of God.

29 But as in those days he who had birth after the flesh was cruel to him who had birth after the Spirit, even so it is now.

30 What then do the Writings say? Send away the servant-woman and her son; for the son of the servant-woman will not have a part in the heritage with the son of the free woman.

31 So, brothers, we are not children of the servant-woman, but of the free woman.

Good News Translation GNT

1 But now to continue - the son who will receive his father's property is treated just like a slave while he is young, even though he really owns everything.

2 While he is young, there are men who take care of him and manage his affairs until the time set by his father.

3 In the same way, we too were slaves of the ruling spirits of the universe before we reached spiritual maturity.

4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,

5 to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God's children.

6 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, "Father, my Father."

7 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children.

8 In the past you did not know God, and so you were slaves of beings who are not gods.

9 But now that you know God - or, I should say, now that God knows you - how is it that you want to turn back to those weak and pitiful ruling spirits? Why do you want to become their slaves all over again?

10 You pay special attention to certain days, months, seasons, and years.

11 I am worried about you! Can it be that all my work for you has been for nothing?

12 I beg you, my friends, be like me. After all, I am like you. You have not done me any wrong.

13 You remember why I preached the gospel to you the first time; it was because I was sick.

14 But even though my physical condition was a great trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you received me as you would an angel from heaven; you received me as you would Christ Jesus.

15 You were so happy! What has happened? I myself can say that you would have taken out your own eyes, if you could, and given them to me.

16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

17 Those other people show a deep interest in you, but their intentions are not good. All they want is to separate you from me, so that you will have the same interest in them as they have in you.

18 Now, it is good to have such a deep interest if the purpose is good - this is true always, and not merely when I am with you.

19 My dear children! Once again, just like a mother in childbirth, I feel the same kind of pain for you until Christ's nature is formed in you.

20 How I wish I were with you now, so that I could take a different attitude toward you. I am so worried about you!

21 Let me ask those of you who want to be subject to the Law: do you not hear what the Law says?

22 It says that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman, the other by a free woman.

23 His son by the slave woman was born in the usual way, but his son by the free woman was born as a result of God's promise.

24 These things can be understood as a figure: the two women represent two covenants. The one whose children are born in slavery is Hagar, and she represents the covenant made at Mount Sinai.

25 Hagar, who stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, is a figure of the present city of Jerusalem, in slavery with all its people.

26 But the heavenly Jerusalem is free, and she is our mother.

27 For the scripture says, "Be happy, you childless woman! Shout and cry with joy, you who never felt the pains of childbirth! For the woman who was deserted will have more children than the woman whose husband never left her."

28 Now, you, my friends, are God's children as a result of his promise, just as Isaac was.

29 At that time the son who was born in the usual way persecuted the one who was born because of God's Spirit; and it is the same now.

30 But what does the scripture say? It says, "Send the slave woman and her son away; for the son of the slave woman will not have a part of the father's property along with the son of the free woman."

31 So then, my friends, we are not the children of a slave woman but of a free woman.