¹Basi, nasema hivi: mrithi, akiwa bado mtoto, hawi tofauti na mtumwa ingawaje mali yote ni yake.

¹And I say, so long time as the heir is a babe, he differeth nothing from a servant — being lord of all,

²Wakati huo wote yuko chini ya walezi na wadhamini mpaka wakati ule uliowekwa na baba yake.

²but is under tutors and stewards till the time appointed of the father,

³Hali kadhalika na sisi tulipokuwa bado watoto, tulikuwa watumwa wa pepo watawala wa ulimwengu.

³so also we, when we were babes, under the elements of the world were in servitude,

⁴Lakini wakati ule maalumu ulipotimia, Mungu alimtuma Mwanawe aliyezaliwa na mwanamke, akaishi chini ya Sheria

⁴and when the fulness of time did come, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law,

⁵apate kuwakomboa wale waliokuwa chini ya Sheria ili sisi tufanywe wana wa Mungu.

⁵that those under law he may redeem, that the adoption of sons we may receive;

⁶Kwa vile sasa ninyi ni wana, Mungu amemtuma Roho wa Mwanae mioyoni mwenu, Roho ambaye hulia "Aba," yaani "Baba."

⁶and because ye are sons, God did send forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, `Abba, Father!`

⁷Basi, wewe si mtumwa tena, bali mwana. Na ikiwa ni mwana, basi, wewe utapokea yote Mungu aliyowawekea watoto wake.

⁷so that thou art no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ.

⁸Zamani hamkumjua Mungu na hivyo mkatumikia miungu isiyo miungu kweli.

⁸But then, indeed, not having known God, ye were in servitude to those not by nature gods,

⁹Lakini sasa, kwa vile mnamjua Mungu, au tuseme mnajulikana na Mungu, mnawezaje tena kurudi kwa wale pepo maskini na dhaifu hata kutaka kuwatumikia tena?

⁹and now, having known God — and rather being known by God — how turn ye again unto the weak and poor elements to which anew ye desire to be in servitude?

¹⁰Bado mnaadhimisha siku, miezi na miaka!

¹⁰days ye observe, and months, and times, and years!

¹¹Nahofu kwamba labda kazi niliyoifanya kwa ajili yenu imepotea bure!

¹¹I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.

¹²Ndugu, nawasihi muwe kama mimi, kwa vile hata mimi nimekuwa kama ninyi. Hamkunitendea ubaya wowote.

¹²Become as I [am] — because I also [am] as ye brethren, I beseech you; to me ye did no hurt,

¹³Mnajua kwamba ugonjwa wangu ndio ulionipatia fursa ya kuwahubirieni Habari Njema kwa mara ya kwanza.

¹³and ye have known that through infirmity of the flesh I did proclaim good news to you at the first,

¹⁴Hata hivyo, wakati ule hamkunidharau wala kunikataa kwa sababu ya udhaifu wangu ingawa mlishawishiwa kufanya hivyo; lakini mlinipokea kama malaika wa Mungu, kama vile ningekuwa Kristo Yesu mwenyewe.

¹⁴and my trial that [is] in my flesh ye did not despise nor reject, but as a messenger of God ye did receive me — as Christ Jesus;

¹⁵Mlikuwa wenye furaha; sasa kumetokea nini? Naapa kwamba wakati ule mngaliweza hata kuyang'oa macho yenu na kunipa mimi.

¹⁵what then was your happiness? for I testify to you, that if possible, your eyes having plucked out, ye would have given to me;

¹⁶Je, sasa nimekuwa adui yenu kwa sababu ya kuwaambieni ukweli?

¹⁶so that your enemy have I become, being true to you?

¹⁷Hao watu wengine wanawahangaikia ninyi, lakini nia zao si njema. Wanataka kuwatenganisha nami ili ninyi muwahangaikie wao.

¹⁷they are zealous for you — [yet] not well, but they wish to shut us out, that for them ye may be zealous;

¹⁸Kwa kweli ni jambo jema daima kuwahangaikia wengine katika mambo mema, na si tu wakati mimi nipo pamoja nanyi.

¹⁸and [it is] good to be zealously regarded, in what is good, at all times, and not only in my being present with you;

¹⁹Watoto wangu, kama vile mama mja mzito anavyotaabika wakati wa kujifungua, mimi nataabika tena kwa ajili yenu mpaka hapo hali yake Kristo itakapoundwa ndani yenu.

¹⁹my little children, of whom again I travail in birth, till Christ may be formed in you,

²⁰Laiti ningekuwa pamoja nanyi sasa, maana ningalipata msimamo ufaao juu yenu! Nina wasiwasi sana nanyi!

²⁰and I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you.

²¹Niambieni, enyi mnaopenda kutawaliwa na sheria: Je, mnasikia isemavyo Sheria?

²¹Tell me, ye who are willing to be under law, the law do ye not hear?

²²Imeandikwa katika Maandiko Matakatifu kwamba Abrahamu alikuwa na watoto wawili: mmoja kwa mwanamke mtumwa, na wa pili kwa mwanamke huru.

²²for it hath been written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the maid-servant, and one by the free-woman,

²³Yule wa mwanamke mtumwa alizaliwa kama kawaida, lakini yule wa mwanamke huru alizaliwa kutokana na ahadi ya Mungu.

²³but he who [is] of the maid-servant, according to flesh hath been, and he who [is] of the free-woman, through the promise;

²⁴Mambo hayo yamekuwa mfano; mama hao wawili ni mfano wa maagano mawili; la kwanza ni lile lililofanyika mlimani Sinai, mwakilishi wake ni Hagari, na watoto wake wanazaliwa utumwani.

²⁴which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar;

²⁵Hagari anawakilisha mlima Sinai ulioko Arabia, na ni mfano wa Yerusalemu ya sasa, ulio mtumwa pamoja na watoto wake.

²⁵for this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and doth correspond to the Jerusalem that now [is], and is in servitude with her children,

²⁶Lakini Yerusalemu ya juu mbinguni ni mji ulio huru, nao ni mama yetu.

²⁶and the Jerusalem above is the free-woman, which is mother of us all,

²⁷Maana imeandikwa: "Furahi, ewe uliye tasa usiyezaa; paaza sauti wewe usiyepata kujifungua mtoto; maana watoto wa yule aliyeachwa ni wengi zaidi kuliko wa yule aliye na mume."

²⁷for it hath been written, `Rejoice, O barren, who art not bearing; break forth and cry, thou who art not travailing, because many [are] the children of the desolate — more than of her having the husband.`

²⁸Sasa, basi, ndugu zangu, ninyi ni watoto wa Mungu kutokana na ahadi yake kama alivyokuwa Isaka.

²⁸And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise,

²⁹Lakini kama vile siku zile yule mtoto aliyezaliwa kwa njia ya kawaida alimdhulumu yule aliyezaliwa kwa uwezo wa Roho wa Mungu, vivyo hivyo na siku hizi.

²⁹but as then he who was born according to the flesh did persecute him according to the spirit, so also now;

³⁰Lakini Maandiko Matakatifu yasemaje? Yasema: "Mfukuze mama mtumwa pamoja na mwanawe; maana mtoto wa mtumwa hatarithi pamoja na mtoto wa mama huru."

³⁰but what saith the Writing? `Cast forth the maid-servant and her son, for the son of the maid-servant may not be heir with the son of the free-woman;`

³¹Kwa hiyo, basi, ndugu, sisi si watoto wa mtumwa bali wa mama huru.

³¹then, brethren, we are not a maid-servant`s children, but the free-woman`s.