Galater 4 | New International Reader’s Version
1Here is what I have been saying. As long as your own children are young, they are no different from slaves in your house. They are no different, even though they will own all the property.2People are in charge of the property. And other people are in charge of the children. The children remain under their care until they become adults. At that time their fathers give them the property.3It is the same with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the basic spiritual powers of the world.4But then the chosen time came. God sent his Son. A woman gave birth to him. He was born under the authority of the law.5He came to set free those who were under the authority of the law. He wanted us to be adopted as children with all the rights children have.6Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God Abba. Abba means Father.7So you aren’t a slave any longer. You are God’s child. Because you are his child, God gives you the rights of those who are his children.
Paul’s concern for the believers in Galatia
8At one time you didn’t know God. You were slaves to gods that are really not gods at all.9But now you know God. Even better, God knows you. So why are you turning back to those weak and worthless powers? Do you want to be slaves to them all over again?10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!11I am afraid for you. I am afraid that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.12I make my appeal to you, brothers and sisters. I’m asking you to become like me. After all, I became like you. You didn’t do anything wrong to me.13Remember when I first preached the good news to you? Remember I did that because I was ill.14And my illness was hard on you. But you weren’t mean to me. You didn’t make fun of me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God. You welcomed me as if I were Christ Jesus himself.15So why aren’t you treating me the same way now? Suppose you could have torn out your own eyes and given them to me. Then you would have done it. I am a witness to this.16Have I become your enemy now by telling you the truth?17Those people are trying hard to win you over. But it is not for your good. They want to take you away from us. They want you to commit yourselves to them.18It is fine to be committed to something, if the purpose is good. And you shouldn’t be committed only when I am with you. You should always be committed.19My dear children, I am in pain for you, just as I was when we first met. I have pain like a woman giving birth. And my pain will continue until Christ makes you like himself.20I wish I could be with you now. I wish I could change my tone of voice. As it is, I don’t understand you.
Hagar and Sarah
21You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don’t you know what the law says?22It 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.23Abraham’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.24These things are 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.25Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That’s because she and her children are slaves.26But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother.27It is written, ‘Be glad, woman, you who have never had children. Shout for joy and cry out loud, you who have never had labour pains. The woman who is all alone has more children than the woman who has a husband.’28Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God’s promise just as Isaac was.29At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the other son. The other son was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now.30But 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. He’ll never share it with the free woman’s son.’31Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman’s children. We are the free woman’s children.
Nuova Riveduta 2006
Dalla schiavitù della legge alla libertà in Cristo
1Io dico: finché l’erede è minorenne, non differisce in nulla dal servo, benché sia padrone di tutto;2ma è sotto tutori e amministratori fino al tempo prestabilito dal padre.3Così anche noi, quando eravamo bambini, eravamo tenuti in schiavitù dagli elementi del mondo;4ma quando giunse la pienezza del tempo, Dio mandò suo Figlio, nato da donna, nato sotto la legge,5per riscattare quelli che erano sotto la legge, affinché noi ricevessimo l’adozione.6E, perché siete figli, Dio ha mandato lo Spirito del Figlio suo nei nostri cuori, che grida: «Abbà, Padre».7Così tu non sei più servo, ma figlio; e se sei figlio, sei anche erede per grazia di Dio.8In quel tempo, è vero, non avendo conoscenza di Dio, avete servito quelli che per natura non sono dèi;9ma ora che avete conosciuto Dio, o piuttosto che siete stati conosciuti da Dio, come mai vi rivolgete di nuovo ai deboli e poveri elementi, di cui volete rendervi schiavi di nuovo?10Voi osservate giorni, mesi, stagioni e anni!11Io temo di essermi affaticato invano per voi.12Siate come sono io, fratelli, ve ne prego, perché anch’io sono come voi.13Voi non mi faceste torto alcuno; anzi sapete bene che fu a motivo di una malattia che vi evangelizzai la prima volta;14e quella che nella mia carne era per voi una prova, non la disprezzaste né vi fece ribrezzo; al contrario mi accoglieste come un angelo di Dio, come Cristo Gesù stesso.15Dove sono dunque le vostre manifestazioni di gioia? Poiché vi rendo testimonianza che, se fosse stato possibile, vi sareste cavati gli occhi e me li avreste dati.16Sono dunque diventato vostro nemico dicendovi la verità?17Costoro* sono zelanti per voi, ma non per fini onesti; anzi vogliono staccarvi da noi affinché il vostro zelo si volga a loro.18Ora è una buona cosa essere in ogni tempo oggetto dello zelo altrui nel bene, e non solo quando sono presente tra di voi.19Figli miei, per i quali sono di nuovo in doglie finché Cristo sia formato in voi,20oh, come vorrei essere ora presente tra di voi e cambiare tono, perché sono perplesso a vostro riguardo!21Ditemi, voi che volete essere sotto la legge, non prestate ascolto alla legge?22Infatti sta scritto che Abraamo ebbe due figli*: uno dalla schiava e uno dalla donna libera;23ma quello della schiava nacque secondo la carne, mentre quello della libera nacque in virtù della promessa.24Queste cose hanno un senso allegorico, poiché queste donne sono due patti; uno, del monte Sinai*, genera per la schiavitù, ed è Agar.25Infatti Agar è il monte Sinai in Arabia e corrisponde alla Gerusalemme del tempo presente, che è schiava con i suoi figli.26Ma la Gerusalemme di lassù è libera, ed è nostra madre.27Infatti sta scritto: «Rallègrati, sterile, che non partorivi! Prorompi in grida, tu che non avevi provato le doglie del parto! Poiché i figli dell’abbandonata saranno più numerosi di quelli di colei che aveva marito»*.28Ora, fratelli, come Isacco, voi siete figli della promessa.29E come allora colui che era nato secondo la carne perseguitava quello che era nato secondo lo Spirito, così succede anche ora.30Ma che dice la Scrittura? «Caccia via la schiava e suo figlio; perché il figlio della schiava non sarà erede con il figlio della donna libera»*.31Perciò, fratelli, noi non siamo figli della schiava, ma della donna libera.
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