4:21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law? ¹  4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the ²  slave woman and the other by the free woman. 4:23 But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, ³  while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise. 4:24 These things may be treated as an allegory, ⁴  for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. 4:25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free, ⁵  and she is our mother. 4:27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; ⁶ 

break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.” ⁷ 

4:28 But you, ⁸  brothers and sisters, ⁹  are children of the promise like Isaac. 4:29 But just as at that time the one born by natural descent ¹⁰  persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, ¹¹  so it is now. 4:30 But what does the scripture say? “Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son” ¹²  of the free woman. 4:31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ¹³  we are not children of the slave woman but of the free woman.