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English translation and notes by John Barach
Chapter 13
Lessons about the covenant
13:1 Ἴδωμεν δὲ εἰ οὗτος ὁ λαὸς κληρονομεῖ ἢ ὁ πρῶτος, καὶ εἰ ἡ διαθήκη εἰς ἡμᾶς ἢ εἰς ἐκείνους.
 Let us see, then, if this people [the Christians] is the heir, or the former people [the Jews], and if the covenant is for us or for them.
13:2 ἀκούσατε οὖν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή·
Ἐδεῖτο δὲ Ἰσαὰκ περὶ Ῥεβέκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι στεῖρα ἦν·
καὶ συνέλαβεν.
εἶτα ἐξῆλθεν Ῥεβέκκα πυθέσθαι παρὰ κυρίου, καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς αὐτήν·
Δύο ἔθνη ἐν τῇ γαστρί σου καὶ δύο λαοὶ ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ σου, καὶ ὑπερέξει λαὸς λαοῦ καὶ ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι.
 Hear, then, concerning the people, what the Scripture says:
“And Isaac prayed concerning Rebecca his wife, because she was barren; and she conceived.”
Then Rebecca went out to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples in your belly; and one people shall surpass the other people, and the greater shall serve the lesser.”
13:3 αἰσθάνεσθαι ὀφείλετε, τίς ὁ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τίς ἡ Ῥεβέκκα, καὶ ἐπὶ τίνων δέδειχεν, ὅτι μείζων ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἢ ἐκεῖνος.
 You ought to perceive who Isaac is, and who Rebecca is, and concerning whom He has shown that this people is greater than that one.
13:4 καὶ ἐν ἄλλῃ προφητείᾳ λέγει φανερώτερον ὁ Ἰακὼβ πρὸς Ἰωσὴφ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, λέγων·
ἰδού, οὐκ ἐστέρησέν με κύριος τοῦ προσώπου σου·
προσάγαγέ μοι τοὺς υἱούς σου, ἵνα εὐλογήσω αὐτούς.
 And in another prophecy, Jacob speaks more clearly to Joseph his son, saying: “Look, the Lord has not deprived me of your presence; bring your sons to me, so that I may bless them.”
13:5 καὶ προσήγαγεν Ἐφραὶμ καὶ Μανασσῆ, τὸν Μανασσῆ θέλων ἵνα εὐλογηθῇ, ὅτι πρεσβύτερος ἦν·
ὁ γὰρ Ἰωσὴφ προσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα τοῦ πατρὸς Ἰακώβ.
εἶδεν δὲ Ἰακὼβ τύπον τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μεταξύ·
καὶ τί λέγει;
Καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἰακὼβ ἐναλλὰξ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Ἐφραίμ, τοῦ δευτέρου καὶ νεωτέρου, καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτόν.
καὶ εἶπεν Ἰωσὴφ πρὸς Ἰακώβ·
Μετάθες σου τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν Μανασσῆ, ὅτι πρωτότοκός μου υἱός ἐστιν.
καὶ εἶπεν Ἰακὼβ πρὸς Ἰωσήφ·
Οἶδα, τέκνον, οἶδα·
ἀλλ' ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι, καὶ οὗτος δὲ εὐλογηθήσεται.
 And he brought Ephraim and Manasseh, wishing that Manasseh should be blessed because he was the elder; for Joseph brought him toward the right hand of his father Jacob.
But Jacob saw in the spirit a type of the people that would come after; and what does he say? And Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, the second and younger, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob: “Transfer your right hand onto the head of Manasseh, because he is my firstborn son.” And Jacob said to Joseph: “I know, child, I know; but the greater shall serve the lesser, yet this one also shall be blessed.”
13:6 βλέπετε, ἐπὶ τίνων τέθεικεν, τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον εἶναι πρῶτον καὶ τῆς διαθήκης κληρονόμον.
 See in whose favor he placed it: that this people should be first and heir of the covenant!
13:7 Εἰ οὖν ἔτι καὶ διὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐμνήσθη, ἀπέχομεν τὸ τέλειον τῆς γνώσεως ἡμῶν.
τί οὖν λέγει τῷ Ἀβραάμ, ὅτε μόνος πιστεύσας ἐτέθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην;
ἰδού, τέθεικά σε, Ἀβραάμ, πατέρα ἐθνῶν τῶν πιστευόντων δι' ἀκροβυστίας τῷ θεῷ.
 If, therefore, He mentioned this further through Abraham, we possess the perfection of our knowledge (gnōsis).
What, then, does He say to Abraham, when he alone believed and was appointed unto righteousness?
“Look, I have appointed you, Abraham, as a father of nations who believe in God while uncircumcised.”
Summary
In Chapter 13 of the Epistle of Barnabas, the author tackles the central question of covenantal inheritance: whether Christians or Jews are the true heirs of God’s promises.
Through a series of Old Testament typological interpretations, he demonstrates that the younger group was always destined to surpass and inherit over the older:

Rebecca’s Twins (Genesis 25): The divine revelation that "the greater shall serve the lesser" prefigures the older nation (Israel) serving the younger nation (the Church).

Jacob’s Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48): Jacob crossing his hands (ἐναλλάξ) to place his right hand on the younger son Ephraim is presented as a spirit-led prefiguration (τύπος) of the Church inheriting the primary covenant blessing over the elder brother.

The Promise to Abraham (Genesis 15 / 17): Abraham’s justification by faith while still uncircumcised proves that the Church—composed of believing Gentiles—is the fulfillment of Abraham’s universal fatherhood.
Significant Greek Expressions
ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ἢ ἐκεῖνος (this people or that one): A recurring stylistic formula throughout the epistle, contrasting "this people" (the Christian Church) with "that people" (unbelieving Israel) to establish supersessionist covenant claims.

τύπον τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μεταξύ (a type in the spirit of the people that came after): Refers to Jacob’s prophetic discernment under the Holy Spirit, seeing in the reversal of the birthright a prefiguration (τύπος) of the Christian Church rising after Israel.

ἐποίησεν Ἰακὼβ ἐναλλὰξ τὰς χεῖρας (Jacob crossed his hands): Highlights the physical crossing of Jacob’s arms to bless Ephraim; early Christian writers frequently saw the cross-shape (X or cross motif) hidden in this physical act.

τῆς διαθήκης κληρονόμον (heir of the covenant): The main legal and theological designation at stake in the chapter, asserting that the right to God’s ancient promises belongs to the Christian community.

τὸ τέλειον τῆς γνώσεως ἡμῶν (the perfection of our knowledge): Expresses the author’s conviction that understanding these OT narrative reversals allegorically represents the highest level of spiritual insight (gnōsis) available to believers.

δι’ ἀκροβυστίας (while uncircumcised / through uncircumcision): Echoes Pauline theology (cf. Romans 4:9–12), emphasizing that Abraham was declared righteous on account of his faith before receiving physical circumcision, establishing him as the father of Gentile believers.
Epistle of Barnabas