A letter from Christ
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Such confidence we have through Christ before God.
And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
The glory of the new covenant
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness. For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts. Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was,
But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness.
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts.
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.
And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.