2 Corinthians 3
1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some do, letters of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
Do you say that this is self-recommendation once more? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
Our letter of recommendation is yourselves--a letter written on our hearts and everywhere known and read.
3 you are well known to be a letter of Christ, written by us as his ministers, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
For all can see that you are a letter of Christ entrusted to our care, and written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the ever-living God--and not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts as tablets.
4 Now, confidence such as this we have, through the Christ, toward God;
Such is the confidence which we have through Christ in the presence of God;
5 not that we are able, of ourselves, to devise anything, as from ourselves; but our ability is from God,
not that of ourselves we are competent to decide anything by our own reasonings, but our competency comes from God.
6 who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.
It is He also who has made us competent to serve Him in connexion with a new Covenant, which is not a written code but a Spirit; for the written code inflicts death, but the Spirit gives Life.
7 For if the ministering of death, by means of a covenant that was written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face, which glory was to come to an end:
If, however, the service that proclaims death--its code being engraved in writing upon stones--came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily on the face of Moses because of the brightness of his face--a vanishing brightness;
8 how shall not the ministering of the spirit be more glorious?
will not the service of the Spirit be far more glorious?
9 For if the ministering of condemnation be glory, much more does the ministering of righteousness surpass in glory.
For if the service which pronounces doom had glory, far more glorious still is the service which tells of righteousness.
10 For that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that surpasses.
For, in fact, that which was once resplendent in glory has no glory at all in this respect, that it pales before the glory which surpasses it.
11 For if that which was to come to an end was glorious, much more that which is to remain is glorious.
For if that which was to be abolished came with glory, much more is that which is permanent arrayed in glory.
12 Since then we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech,
Therefore, cherishing a hope like this, we speak without reserve, and we do not imitate Moses,
13 and do not as Moses did, who put a vail over his face, so that the sons of Israel could not steadily look to the end of that which was to come to an end.
who used to throw a veil over his face to hide from the gaze of the children of Israel the passing away of what was but transitory.
14 But their minds were blinded: for till this day, in the reading of the old covenant, the same vail remains not taken away, which vail is removed in Christ.
Nay, their minds were made dull; for to this very day during the reading of the book of the ancient Covenant, the same veil remains unlifted, because it is only in Christ that it is to be abolished.
15 But to this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart:
Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts.
16 but whenever their heart shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
But whenever the heart of the nation shall have returned to the Lord, the veil will be withdrawn.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Now by "the Lord" is meant the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is enjoyed.
18 And we all, with unvailed face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.
And all of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like bright mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from one degree of radiant holiness to another, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit.
