1 T AMBIÉN digo: Entre tanto que el heredero es niño, en nada difiere del siervo, aunque es señor de todo;

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 M as está debajo de tutores y curadores hasta el tiempo señalado por el padre.

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 A sí también nosotros, cuando éramos niños, éramos siervos bajo los rudimentos del mundo.

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

4 M as venido el cumplimiento del tiempo, Dios envió su Hijo, hecho de mujer, hecho súbdito á la ley,

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

5 P ara que redimiese á los que estaban debajo de la ley, á fin de que recibiésemos la adopción de hijos.

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 Y por cuanto sois hijos, Dios envió el Espíritu de su Hijo en vuestros corazones, el cual clama: Abba, Padre.

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

7 A sí que ya no eres más siervo, sino hijo, y si hijo, también heredero de Dios por Cristo.

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 A ntes, en otro tiempo, no conociendo á Dios, servíais á los que por naturaleza no son dioses:

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

9 M as ahora, habiendo conocido á Dios, ó más bien, siendo conocidos de Dios, ¿cómo os volvéis de nuevo á los flacos y pobres rudimentos, en los cuales queréis volver á servir?

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 G uardáis los días, y los meses, y los tiempos, y los años.

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

11 T emo de vosotros, que no haya trabajado en vano en vosotros.

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

12 H ermanos, os ruego, sed como yo, porque yo soy como vosotros: ningún agravio me habéis hecho.

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 Q ue vosotros sabéis que por flaqueza de carne os anuncié el evangelio al principio:

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

14 Y no desechasteis ni menospreciasteis mi tentación que estaba en mi carne: antes me recibisteis como á un ángel de Dios, como á Cristo Jesús.

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 ¿ Dónde está pues vuestra bienaventuranza? porque yo os doy testimonio que si se pudiera hacer, os hubierais sacado vuestros ojos para dármelos.

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 ¿ Heme pues hecho vuestro enemigo, diciéndoos la verdad?

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

17 T ienen celos de vosotros, pero no bien: antes os quieren echar fuera para que vosotros los celéis á ellos.

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 B ueno es ser celosos en bien siempre; y no solamente cuando estoy presente con vosotros.

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 H ijitos míos, que vuelvo otra vez á estar de parto de vosotros, hasta que Cristo sea formado en vosotros;

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

20 Q uerría cierto estar ahora con vosotros, y mudar mi voz; porque estoy perplejo en cuanto á vosotros.

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 D ecidme, los que queréis estar debajo de la ley, ¿no habéis oído la ley?

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

22 P orque escrito está que Abraham tuvo dos hijos; uno de la sierva, el otro de la libre.

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 M as el de la sierva nació según la carne; pero el de la libre nació por la promesa.

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 L as cuales cosas son dichas por alegoría: porque estas mujeres son los dos pactos; el uno ciertamente del monte Sinaí, el cual engendró para servidumbre, que es Agar.

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 P orque Agar ó Sinaí es un monte de Arabia, el cual es conjunto á la que ahora es Jerusalem, la cual sirve con sus hijos.

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 M as la Jerusalem de arriba libre es; la cual es la madre de todos nosotros.

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

27 P orque está escrito: Alégrate, estéril, que no pares: Prorrumpe y clama, la que no estás de parto; Porque más son los hijos de la dejada, que de la que tiene marido.

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 A sí que, hermanos, nosotros como Isaac somos hijos de la promesa.

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

29 E mpero como entonces el que era engendrado según la carne, perseguía al que había nacido según el Espíritu, así también ahora.

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 M as ¿qué dice la Escritura? Echa fuera á la sierva y á su hijo; porque no será heredero el hijo de la sierva con el hijo de la libre.

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 D e manera, hermanos, que no somos hijos de la sierva, mas de la libre.

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