1 К азвам още: До тогаз, докато наследникът е малолетен, той не се различава в нищо от роб, ако и да е господар на всичко,

Let me say this another way. A young child who will get all the riches of his family is not different from a servant who is owned by the family. And yet the young child owns everything.

2 н о е под надзиратели и настойници до назначения от бащата срок.

While he is young, he is cared for by men his father trusts. These men tell the child what he can and cannot do. The child cannot do what he wants to do until he has become a certain age.

3 Т ака и ние, когато бяхме малолетни, бяхме поробени под първоначалните учения на света;

We were as children also held by the Law. We obeyed the Law in our religious worship.

4 а когато се изпълни времето, Бог изпрати Сина Си, Който се роди от жена, роди се и под закона,

But at the right time, God sent His Son. A woman gave birth to Him under the Law.

5 з а да изкупи ония, които бяха под закона, та да получим осиновението.

This all happened so He could buy with His blood and make free all those who were held by the Law. Then we might become the sons of God.

6 И понеже сте синове, Бог изпрати в сърдцата ни Духа на Сина Си, Който вика: Авва, Отче!

Because you are the sons of God, He has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. The Spirit cries, “Father!”

7 З атова не си вече роб, но син; и ако си син, то си Божий наследник чрез Христа.

So now you are no longer a servant who is owned by someone. You are a son. If you are a son, then you will receive what God has promised through Christ.

8 Н о тогава, когато не познавахте Бога, вие робувахте на ония, които по естество не са богове;

During the time when you did not know God, you worshiped false gods.

9 а сега, когато познахте Бога, или по-добре, като станахте познати от Бога, как се връщате надире към слабите и сиромашки първоначални учения, на които наново желаете да робувате?

But now that you know God, or should I say that you are known by God, why do you turn back again to the weak old Law? Why do you want to do those religious acts of worship that will keep you from being free? Why do you want to be held under the power of the Law again?

10 В ие пазите дните, месеците, времената и годините.

You do special things on certain days and months and years and times of the year.

11 Б оя се за вас, да не би напусто да съм се трудил помежду ви.

I am afraid my work with you was wasted. Living by the Law or Being Free

12 М оля ви се, братя, станете като мене, защото и аз станах като вас. Не сте ми сторили никаква неправда,

I ask you, Christian brothers, stay free from the Law as I am. Even if I am a Jew, I became free from the Law, just as you who are not Jews. You did no wrong to me.

13 н о сами знаете, че на първия път ви проповядвах благовестието, вследствие на телесна слабост;

You know I preached the Good News to you the first time because of my sickness.

14 н о пак, това, което ви беше изпитня в моята снага, вие не го презряхте, нито се погнусихте от него, но ме приехте като Божий ангел, като Христа Исуса.

Even though I was hard to look at because of my sickness, you did not turn away from me. You took me in as an angel from God. You took me in as you would have taken in Christ Jesus Himself.

15 Т огава, къде е онова ваше самочеститяване? Понеже свидетелствувам за вас, че, че ако беше възможно, очите си бихте извъртели и бихте ми ги дали.

What has become of the happiness you once had? You would have taken out your own eyes if you could have and given them to me.

16 П рочее, аз неприятел ли ви станах, понеже постъпвам вярно с вас?

Do you hate me because I have told you the truth?

17 Т ия учители ви търсят ревностно не по добър начин; даже те желаят да ви отлъчат от нас, за да търсите тях ревностно.

Those false teachers are trying to turn your eyes toward them. They do not want you to follow my teaching. What they are doing is not good.

18 Н о добре е да бъдете търсени ревностно за това, което е добро, и то на всяко време, а не само, когато се намирам аз между вас.

It is good when people help you if they do not hope to get something from it. They should help you all the time, not only when I am with you.

19 Д ечица мои, за които съм пак в родилни болки докле се изобрази Христос във вас,

My children, I am suffering birth pain for you again. I will suffer until Christ’s life is in your life.

20 ж елал бих да съм сега при вас и да променя гласа си, защото съм в недоумение за вас.

I wish I could be with you now. I wish I could speak to you in a more gentle voice, but I am troubled about you.

21 К ажете ми вие, които желаете да бъдете под закона, не чувате ли що казва законът?

Listen! If you want to be under the Law, why do you not listen to what it says?

22 З ащото е писано, че Авраам имаше два сина, един от слугинята и един от свободната;

The Holy Writings say that Abraham had two sons. One was born from a woman servant (Hagar) who was owned by someone. She had to do what she was told. The other son was born from a woman (Sarah) who was free to work and live as she desired.

23 н о тоя, който бе от слугинята, се роди по плът, а оня, който бе от свободната, по обещание.

The son born from the woman servant who was owned by someone was like any other birth. The son born from the free woman was different. That son had been promised by God.

24 И това е иносказание, защото тия жени представляват два завета, единият от Синайската планина, който ражда чада за робство, и той е Агар.

Think of it like this: These two women show God’s two ways of working with His people. The children born from Hagar are under the Law given on Mount Sinai. They will be servants who are owned by someone and will always be told what to do!

25 А тая Агар представлява планината Синай в Арабия и съответствува на днешния Ерусалим, защото тя е в робство с чадата си.

Hagar is known as Mount Sinai in the country of Arabia. She is as Jerusalem is today, because she and her children are not free to do what they want to do.

26 А горният Ерусалим е свободен, който е майка;

But the Jerusalem of heaven is the free woman, and she is our mother.

27 з ащото е писано: "Весели се, неплодна, която не раждаш; Възгласи и извикай, ти, която не си била в родилни болки, Защото повече са чедата на самотната, нежели чадата на омъжената".

The Holy Writings say, “Woman, be happy, you who have had no children. Cry for joy, you who have never had the pains of having a child, for you will have many children. Yes, you will have more children than the one who has a husband.”

28 А ние, братя, както Исаак, сме чада на обещание.

Christian brothers, we are like Isaac. We are the children God promised.

29 Н о, както тогава роденият по плът гонеше родения по Дух, така е и сега.

At that time the son born as other children are born made it hard for the son born by the Holy Spirit. It is the same way now.

30 О баче, що казва писанието? "Изпъди слугинята и сина й; защо, синът на слугинята няма да наследи със сина на свободната".

But what do the Holy Writings say? They say, “Put the woman servant who is owned by someone and her son out of your home. The son of that woman servant will never get any of the riches of the family. It will all be given to the son of the free woman.”

31 З а туй, братя, ние не сме чада на слугиня, а на свободната.

Christian brothers, we are not children of the woman servant who was owned by someone (Hagar). We are children of the free woman (Sarah).