We report on our calculation of  the order alpha_s^4
 contributions to the Bjorken sum rule for  polarized electron-nucleon  scattering
 and to the (non-singlet) part of the cross section for electron-positron
 annihilation into hadrons for the  case of a  generic colour gauge group.
 We confirm at the same order a (generalized)
 Crewther relation between the Bjorken sum rule and the corresponding Adler function  which provides a strong test
 of the correctness of our previously obtained  results:  the ratio R(s) in QCD
 and the five-loop beta-function in  quenched QED.