1 L et 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.

Or, aussi longtemps que l'héritier est enfant, je dis qu'il ne diffère en rien d'un esclave, quoiqu'il soit le maître de tout;

2 W hile 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.

mais il est sous des tuteurs et des administrateurs jusqu'au temps marqué par le père.

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

Nous aussi, de la même manière, lorsque nous étions enfants, nous étions sous l'esclavage des rudiments du monde;

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

mais, lorsque les temps ont été accomplis, Dieu a envoyé son Fils, né d'une femme, né sous la loi,

5 T his 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.

afin qu'il rachetât ceux qui étaient sous la loi, afin que nous reçussions l'adoption.

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

Et parce que vous êtes fils, Dieu a envoyé dans nos coeurs l'Esprit de son Fils, lequel crie: Abba! Père!

7 S o 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.

Ainsi tu n'es plus esclave, mais fils; et si tu es fils, tu es aussi héritier par la grâce de Dieu.

8 D uring the time when you did not know God, you worshiped false gods.

Autrefois, ne connaissant pas Dieu, vous serviez des dieux qui ne le sont pas de leur nature;

9 B ut 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?

mais à présent que vous avez connu Dieu, ou plutôt que vous avez été connus de Dieu, comment retournez-vous à ces faibles et pauvres rudiments, auxquels de nouveau vous voulez vous asservir encore?

10 Y ou do special things on certain days and months and years and times of the year.

Vous observez les jours, les mois, les temps et les années!

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

Je crains d'avoir inutilement travaillé pour vous.

12 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.

Soyez comme moi, car moi aussi je suis comme vous. Frères, je vous en supplie.

13 Y ou know I preached the Good News to you the first time because of my sickness.

Vous ne m'avez fait aucun tort. Vous savez que ce fut à cause d'une infirmité de la chair que je vous ai pour la première fois annoncé l'Évangile.

14 E ven 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.

Et mis à l'épreuve par ma chair, vous n'avez témoigné ni mépris ni dégoût; vous m'avez, au contraire, reçu comme un ange de Dieu, comme Jésus Christ.

15 W hat 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.

Où donc est l'expression de votre bonheur? Car je vous atteste que, si cela eût été possible, vous vous seriez arraché les yeux pour me les donner.

16 D o you hate me because I have told you the truth?

Suis-je devenu votre ennemi en vous disant la vérité?

17 T hose 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.

Le zèle qu'ils ont pour vous n'est pas pur, mais ils veulent vous détacher de nous, afin que vous soyez zélés pour eux.

18 I t 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.

Il est beau d'avoir du zèle pour ce qui est bien et en tout temps, et non pas seulement quand je suis présent parmi vous.

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

Mes enfants, pour qui j'éprouve de nouveau les douleurs de l'enfantement, jusqu'à ce que Christ soit formé en vous,

20 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.

je voudrais être maintenant auprès de vous, et changer de langage, car je suis dans l'inquiétude à votre sujet.

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

Dites-moi, vous qui voulez être sous la loi, n'entendez-vous point la loi?

22 T he 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.

Car il est écrit qu'Abraham eut deux fils, un de la femme esclave, et un de la femme libre.

23 T he 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.

Mais celui de l'esclave naquit selon la chair, et celui de la femme libre naquit en vertu de la promesse.

24 T hink 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!

Ces choses sont allégoriques; car ces femmes sont deux alliances. L'une du mont Sinaï, enfantant pour la servitude, c'est Agar, -

25 H agar 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.

car Agar, c'est le mont Sinaï en Arabie, -et elle correspond à la Jérusalem actuelle, qui est dans la servitude avec ses enfants.

26 B ut the Jerusalem of heaven is the free woman, and she is our mother.

Mais la Jérusalem d'en haut est libre, c'est notre mère;

27 T he 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.”

car il est écrit: Réjouis-toi, stérile, toi qui n'enfantes point! Éclate et pousse des cris, toi qui n'as pas éprouvé les douleurs de l'enfantement! Car les enfants de la délaissée seront plus nombreux Que les enfants de celle qui était mariée.

28 C hristian brothers, we are like Isaac. We are the children God promised.

Pour vous, frères, comme Isaac, vous êtes enfants de la promesse;

29 A t 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.

et de même qu'alors celui qui était né selon la chair persécutait celui qui était né selon l'Esprit, ainsi en est-il encore maintenant.

30 B ut 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.”

Mais que dit l'Écriture? Chasse l'esclave et son fils, car le fils de l'esclave n'héritera pas avec le fils de la femme libre.

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

C'est pourquoi, frères, nous ne sommes pas enfants de l'esclave, mais de la femme libre.