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

¹But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all;

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

²but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father.

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

³So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world:

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

⁴but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

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

⁵that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

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 sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our 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 longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

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

⁸Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no 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?

⁹but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again?

¹⁰Bado mnaadhimisha siku, miezi na miaka!

¹⁰Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years.

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

¹¹I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain.

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

¹²I beseech you, brethren, become as I [am], for I also [am become] as ye [are]. Ye did me no wrong:

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

¹³but ye know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time:

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 that which was a temptation to you in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but ye received me as an angel of God, [even] as Christ Jesus.

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

¹⁵Where then is that gratulation of yourselves? for I bear you witness, that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

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

¹⁶So then am I become your enemy, by telling you the truth?

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

¹⁷They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, they desire to shut you out, that ye may seek them.

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

¹⁸But it is good to be zealously sought in a good matter at all times, and not only when I am 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 I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you--

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

²⁰but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone; for I am perplexed about you.

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

²¹Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

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

²²For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman.

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

²³Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through 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 contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar.

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

²⁵Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children.

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

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

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 is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath the husband.

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

²⁸Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, 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 that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now.

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

³⁰Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman.

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

³¹Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman.