Galasi 4
1 Enben! Men sa m' vle di: Pitit ki pou resevwa byen papa li a, toutotan li piti toujou, y'ap trete l' menm jan yo trete yon esklav, atout se li menm ki mèt tout bagay.
My point is this – as long as the heir is under age, there is no difference between him and a slave, though he is master of the whole estate.
2 Toutotan li timoun toujou, li sou lòd moun k'ap okipe l' la, moun k'ap regle zafè l' pou li a, jouk lè papa a te fikse a rive.
He is subject to the control of guardians and stewards, during the period for which his father has power to appoint them.
3 Nou menm tou, toutotan nou te tankou timoun, nou te esklav tout lide ki t'ap mennen lèzòm nan lemonn.
And so is it with us; when we were under age, as it were, we were slaves to the puerile teaching of this world;
4 Men, lè lè a rive, Bondye te voye pwòp pitit li. Li soti nan vant yon fanm, li viv anba lalwa jwif yo,
but, when the full time came, God sent his Son – born a woman’s child, born subject to Law –
5 pou l' te ka delivre tout moun ki te anba lalwa pou n' te kapab vin pitit Bondye.
to ransom those who were subject to Law, so that we might take our position as sons.
6 Pou fè nou wè nou se pitit li tout bon, Bondye te voye Lespri Pitit li a k'ap rele: Papa, nan kè nou.
And it is because you are sons that God sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, with the cry – “Abba, our Father.”
7 Konsa, ou pa esklav ankò, ou se yon pitit. Si ou se yon pitit Bondye, Bondye va ba ou tout byen li sere pou pitit li yo.
You, therefore, are no longer a slave, but a son; and, if a son, then an heir also, by God’s appointment.
8 Nan tan lontan, nou pa t' konnen Bondye, nou te esklav yon bann bondye ki pa t' Bondye.
Yet formerly, in your ignorance of God, you became slaves to “gods” which were no gods.
9 Men, koulye a nou rive konn Bondye, ou pito koulye a Bondye konnen nou, kouman nou fè vle tounen al jwenn ti lespri sa yo ki tou fèb, tou mizerab? Ki jan pou nou vle tounen esklav yo ankò?
But now that you have found God – or, rather, have been found by him – how is it that you are turning back to that poor and feeble puerile teaching, to which yet once again you are wanting to become slaves?
10 Ki jan fè gen jou, gen mwa, gen sezon, gen lanne ki gen pi konsekan pou nou pase lòt?
You are scrupulous in keeping days and months and seasons and years!
11 Mwen pè pou nou anpil. Gen lè mwen te travay mal nan mitan nou? Se sa m'ap mande mwen.
You make me fear that the labour which I have spent on you may have been wasted.
12 Frè m' yo, tanpri souple. Se pou nou vin tankou m', menm jan mwen menm tou mwen te vini tankou nou. Nou pa janm fè m' okenn tò.
I entreat you, friends, to become like me, as I became like you. You have never done me any wrong.
13 Nou chonje kisa ki te fè m' anonse nou bon nouvèl la pou premye fwa a? Se paske m' te malad.
You remember that it was owing to bodily infirmity that on the first occasion I told you the good news.
14 Lè sa a, malgre maladi m' lan ta ka yon eprèv pou nou, nou pa t' meprize m', ni nou pa t' repouse mwen. Okontrè, nou te resevwa m' tankou si m' te yon zanj Bondye, tankou si se Jezikri menm m' te ye.
And as for what must have tried you in my condition, it did not inspire you with scorn or disgust, but you welcomed me as if I had been an angel of God – or Christ Jesus himself!
15 Lè sa a, nou pa t' manke kontan! Kisa ki rive nou konsa? Mwen ka di sa pou nou: si nou te gen pou n' te rache je nou ban mwen, nou ta fè li.
What has become then, of your blessings? For I can bear witness that, had it been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me!
16 Men koulye a, èske mwen tounen yon lènmi pou nou paske m'ap di nou laverite?
Am I to think, then, that I have become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 Lòt moun sa yo enterese anpil nan nou, men lide yo gen dèyè tèt yo pa bon menm. Yo ta vle separe nou avè m' pou nou ka enterese nan yo ase.
Certain people are seeking your favour, but with no honourable object. No, indeed, they want to isolate you, so that you will have to seek their favour.
18 Sa bon pou nou enterese nan lòt moun tou, men fòk nou pa gen move lide nan tèt nou. Wi, se pou nou toujou enterese nan lòt moun, menm lè mwen pa nan mitan nou.
It is always honourable to have your favour sought in an honourable cause, and not only when I am with you, my dear children –
19 Pitit mwen yo, m'ap soufri anpil pou nou toujou, tankou yon manman k'ap soufri doulè tranche, m'ap soufri pou nou jouk tan Kris la va fin fòme nèt nan nou.
you for whom I am again enduring a mother’s pains, until a likeness to Christ will have been formed in you.
20 Jan m' ta renmen bò kote nou koulye a pou m' ta ka pale yon lòt jan avèk nou! Se pa ti kras pè mwen pè pou nou!
But I could wish to be with you now and speak in a different tone, for I am perplexed about you.
21 Manyè di m', nou menm ki vle rete anba lalwa a: gen lè nou pa konprann sa lalwa a di?
Tell me, you who want to be still subject to Law – Why don’t you listen to the Law?
22 Li di nou konsa: Abraram te gen de pitit gason, yonn avèk fanm ki te esklav la, yon lòt avèk fanm ki pa t' esklav la.
Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one the child of the slave-woman and the other the child of the free woman.
23 Pitit fanm ki te esklav la te fèt dapre egzijans lachè, men pitit fanm ki pa t' esklav la te fèt dapre pwomès Bondye.
But the child of the slave-woman was born in the course of nature, while the child of the free woman was born in fulfilment of a promise.
24 Nou ka pran istwa sa a pou yon parabòl: de fanm sa yo se de kontra. Aga se kontra ki te fèt sou Mòn Sinayi a. Tout pitit li yo se esklav yo ye.
This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two covenants. One covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar.
25 Aga se Mòn Sinayi nan peyi Arabi. Li koresponn ak lavil Jerizalèm ki la koulye a nan esklavaj ak tout pitit li yo.
Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and represents the Jerusalem of today, for she and her children are in slavery.
26 Men, Jerizalèm ki nan syèl la, li lib. Se li menm ki manman nou.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she it is who is our mother.
27 Men sa ki ekri nan Liv la: Fè kè ou kontan, ou menm fanm ki pa t' ka fè pitit! Rele! Fè tout moun konnen jan ou kontan, ou menm ki pa t' janm konnen doulè tranche! Paske, fanm gason pa t' okipe a ap gen plis pitit pase fanm ki gen mari.
For scripture says – “Rejoice, you barren one, who have never given birth, break into shouts, you who are never in labour, for many are the children of her who is desolate – yes, more than of her who has a husband.”
28 Koulye a, frè m' yo, nou tankou Izarak: nou se pitit Bondye jan l' te pwomèt la.
As for ourselves, friends, we, like Isaac, are children born in fulfilment of a promise.
29 Nan tan Abraram, pitit ki te fèt dapre egzijans lachè a t'ap pèsekite pitit ki te fèt dapre Lespri Bondye a. Se konsa sa ye koulye a tou.
Yet at that time the child born in the course of nature persecuted the child born by the power of the Spirit; and it is the same now.
30 Men, kisa ki ekri nan Liv la? Liv la di: Mete esklav la deyò ansanm ak tout pitit li a. Paske pitit esklav la pa gen dwa eritye nan byen papa a ansanm avèk pitit fanm ki pa t' esklav la.
But what does the passage of scripture say? “Send away the slave-woman and her son; for the slave’s son will not be coheir with the son of the free woman.”
31 Konsa, frè m' yo, nou pa pitit esklav la, nou se pitit fanm ki pa t' esklav la.
And so, friends, we are not children of a slave, but of her who is free.
