2 Corinthians 3
1 (Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or commendation from you?
vayaṁ kim ātmapraśaṁsanaṁ punarārabhāmahe? yuṣmān prati yuṣmatto vā pareṣāṁ keṣāñcid ivāsmākamapi kiṁ praśaṁsāpatreṣu prayojanam āste?
2 You are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by all men;
yūyamevāsmākaṁ praśaṁsāpatraṁ taccāsmākam antaḥkaraṇeṣu likhitaṁ sarvvamānavaiśca jñeyaṁ paṭhanīyañca|
3 you are manifestly a letter of Christ, mediated by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on ‘tablets’ that are hearts of flesh.)
yato 'smābhiḥ sevitaṁ khrīṣṭasya patraṁ yūyapeva, tacca na masyā kintvamarasyeśvarasyātmanā likhitaṁ pāṣāṇapatreṣu tannahi kintu kravyamayeṣu hṛtpatreṣu likhitamiti suspaṣṭaṁ|
4 Now we have such confidence before God because of the Christ;
khrīṣṭeneśvaraṁ pratyasmākam īdṛśo dṛḍhaviśvāso vidyate;
5 not that we are competent of ourselves to reckon anything as being from ourselves, but our competence is from God—
vayaṁ nijaguṇena kimapi kalpayituṁ samarthā iti nahi kintvīśvarādasmākaṁ sāmarthyaṁ jāyate|
6 indeed, He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant; not of letter but of Spirit, because the letter kills, while the Spirit gives life.
tena vayaṁ nūtananiyamasyārthato 'kṣarasaṁsthānasya tannahi kintvātmana eva sevanasāmarthyaṁ prāptāḥ| akṣarasaṁsthānaṁ mṛtyujanakaṁ kintvātmā jīvanadāyakaḥ|
7 Now if the ministry of death, engraved in letters on stones, came with glory—so that the children of Israel could not gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance (that was fading)—
akṣarai rvilikhitapāṣāṇarūpiṇī yā mṛtyoḥ sevā sā yadīdṛk tejasvinī jātā yattasyācirasthāyinastejasaḥ kāraṇāt mūsaso mukham isrāyelīyalokaiḥ saṁdraṣṭuṁ nāśakyata,
8 how can the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
tarhyātmanaḥ sevā kiṁ tato'pi bahutejasvinī na bhavet?
9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!
daṇḍajanikā sevā yadi tejoyuktā bhavet tarhi puṇyajanikā sevā tato'dhikaṁ bahutejoyuktā bhaviṣyati|
10 Because what had glory could actually be said to be without glory, compared to the surpassing glory—
ubhayostulanāyāṁ kṛtāyām ekasyāstejo dvitīyāyāḥ prakharatareṇa tejasā hīnatejo bhavati|
11 if what is being set aside had glory, that which is continuing is much more glorious.
yasmād yat lopanīyaṁ tad yadi tejoyuktaṁ bhavet tarhi yat cirasthāyi tad bahutaratejoyuktameva bhaviṣyati|
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we use great boldness of speech—
īdṛśīṁ pratyāśāṁ labdhvā vayaṁ mahatīṁ pragalbhatāṁ prakāśayāmaḥ|
13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his own face, so that the children of Israel would not observe the end of what was fading.
isrāyelīyalokā yat tasya lopanīyasya tejasaḥ śeṣaṁ na vilokayeyustadarthaṁ mūsā yādṛg āvaraṇena svamukham ācchādayat vayaṁ tādṛk na kurmmaḥ|
14 But, it was their minds that were closed, because to this day that very veil remains in place when the Old Testament is read, since only in Christ is it taken away.
teṣāṁ manāṁsi kaṭhinībhūtāni yatasteṣāṁ paṭhanasamaye sa purātano niyamastenāvaraṇenādyāpi pracchannastiṣṭhati|
15 Yes, even to this day, when Moses is read a veil lies on their heart.
tacca na dūrībhavati yataḥ khrīṣṭenaiva tat lupyate| mūsasaḥ śāstrasya pāṭhasamaye'dyāpi teṣāṁ manāṁsi tenāvaraṇena pracchādyante|
16 However, whenever anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
kintu prabhuṁ prati manasi parāvṛtte tad āvaraṇaṁ dūrīkāriṣyate|
17 Now the Spirit is the Lord, and where the Lord's Spirit is there is freedom.
yaḥ prabhuḥ sa eva sa ātmā yatra ca prabhorātmā tatraiva muktiḥ|
18 So we all, contemplating as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, precisely from Lord Spirit.
vayañca sarvve'nācchāditenāsyena prabhostejasaḥ pratibimbaṁ gṛhlanta ātmasvarūpeṇa prabhunā rūpāntarīkṛtā varddhamānatejoyuktāṁ tāmeva pratimūrttiṁ prāpnumaḥ|
