Galatians 4

4 ¹Wetin I dey talk be say: as di person wey go inherit still be pikin, e no different from slave, even doe na im get everytin. ²E dey under people wey dey look afta am and people wey dey hold di property, until di time wey im papa don set. ³Na so too we, wen we bin be pikin, dem make us slave under di elemental forces of dis world. ^a a v3 'Elemental forces' na di basic spiritual powers or di rules wey bin dey control human life before Christ come. ⁴Wen di time don full reach, our Papa send im Pikin, wey woman born, wey dem born under di law, ⁵make e fit redeem dem wey dey under di law, so dat dem go fit receive us as pikin. ^b b v5 To restore person go full sonship: our Papa dey give im pikin di full standing of a son — full rights, full inheritance, full belonging. E no be some distant legal arrangement, na di family wey E make us for am.

⁶And bikos una be pikin, our Papa send di Spirit of im Pikin enter our heart, wey dey cry, “Abba, Papa!” ^c c v6 “Abba” na di intimate cry wey Jesus imsef dey use call our Papa — di name wey pikin dey use for im papa wey e love pass. Through di Spirit of im Pikin, our Papa dey put dat same cry for mouth of every son and daughter wey E don restore.

⁷So you no be slave again but son; and if you be son, den you be person wey go inherit through our Papa.

Di Papa Sabi You by Your Name

⁸Dat time, wen una no sabi our Papa, una bin be slave to dose tins wey no be god at all. ⁹But now wey una don sabi our Papa—or make I talk am beta, na our Papa don sabi una—how una go come dey turn back go dose weak, useless elemental forces? Una wan make dem make una slave again? ¹⁰Una dey keep special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I dey fear for una—di work wey I do for una fit waste for notin. ¹²My brothers and sisters, make una be like me, bikos I bin be like una. Una no do me any wrong. ¹³Una sabi say na bikos of sickness wey catch my body I first preach di gospel give una, ¹⁴and even doe my condition bin be trial for una, una no despise me or reject me. Instead, una welcome me like angel of our Papa—like Christ Jesus imsef. ¹⁵So wia di blessing wey una get? I dey testify say if e bin possible, una for don comot una own eye give me. ¹⁶So I don come be una enemy bikos I tell una di truth? ¹⁷Dem dey run afta una well well, but no be for good tin; dem wan lock una out, so dat una go run afta dem well well. ¹⁸To get passion for good tin dey always good—no be only wen I dey wit una.

¹⁹My pikin, wey I dey feel labor pain again bikos of una, until Christ go take shape inside una. ²⁰I for like make I dey wit una now, make I change how I dey talk—bikos I no sabi wetin I go do about una.

Hagar and Sarah: Two Covenant

²¹Tell me, una wey wan dey under di law, una no dey hear wetin di law dey talk? ²²Bikos Scripture talk say Abraham get two son, one na di slave woman born am, one na di free woman born am. ²³Di son wey di slave woman born am, na by di flesh dem born am; but di son wey di free woman born am, na through promise. ²⁴Dis tin na allegory: di two woman stand for two Covenant. One, wey come from Mount Sinai, dey born pikin wey go be slave—dis one na Hagar. ²⁵Hagar stand for Mount Sinai wey dey for Arabia, and e match di Jerusalem of today, bikos she dey for slavery togeda wit her pikin dem. ²⁶But di Jerusalem wey dey up dey free, and na she be our mama.

²⁷Bikos dem write am say: Rejoice, you barren woman wey no dey born pikin; burst out and shout for joy, you wey neva feel labor pain; bikos di woman wey dem lef get plenty pikin pass di one wey get husband.

²⁸Now una, my brothers and sisters, like Isaac, na pikin of promise una be. ²⁹But just as dat time di son wey dem born for ordinary way persecute di son wey dem born according to di Spirit, na so e still dey now. ³⁰But wetin Scripture talk? “Comot di slave woman and her son, bikos di slave woman son no go ever inherit anytin togeda wit di free woman son.” ³¹So den, my brothers and sisters, we no be pikin of di slave woman, but na pikin of di free woman.