2 Corinthians 3
1 [As I write these things about myself], I am [RHQ] not [doing it] to boast about how good I am, [as some of you say I do]. Some people always carry letters with them that tell how well they work, [that other people] have [written]. But I do not [RHQ] need [to bring] letters like that [when I come to you]. Nor do I need to ask you [to write] letters like that [for me when I go to other congregations].
Commençons-nous de nouveau à nous recommander nous-mêmes, ou aurions-nous besoin, comme quelques-uns, de lettres de recommandation auprès de vous, ou de votre part?
2 You yourselves are [MET] [like a] letter that recommends my work [for God to everyone]. People see [how Christ changed] your [lives when you believed the message that I taught you]. Everyone [who knows you] can see [the result of my work for God].
C'est vous qui êtes notre lettre de recommandation, écrite dans nos coeurs, connue et lue par tous les hommes.
3 You are [MET] [like] a letter that Christ himself [has written] that says good things about [my work for God in your lives]. You show [people by the way you now conduct your lives that God has changed your lives] as a result of my work [among you. People did] not [find out about you by] reading [a letter that was written to them on paper] with [pen and] ink. Instead, [they saw how] the Spirit of the all-powerful God [has changed your lives]. Nor [did people find out about you by reading] a letter that was carved on stone slabs [like the stone slabs that God gave to Moses]. Instead, [it was the change that God’s Spirit made in] your lives [MET] [that they saw].
En effet, il est manifeste que vous êtes une lettre de Christ, écrite par notre ministère, non avec de l'encre, mais avec l'Esprit du Dieu vivant, non sur des tables de pierre, mais sur des tables de chair, sur vos coeurs.
4 I [can very] confidently [write these things about the work that Silas, Timothy, and I did among you, because God knows that what I write is true. We(exc) are true workers] for God [because of what] Christ [has done for us].
Telle est l'assurance que nous avons en Dieu par Christ.
5 We [(exc)], by ourselves, do not have the ability [to do this work]. None of us [apostles] can say, “[I have changed the lives of these people].” God is the one [who has given us this ability].
Non pas que, par nous-mêmes, nous soyons capables de penser quelque chose qui nous viendrait de notre propre fonds; mais toute notre capacité vient de Dieu.
6 He is the one who enables us [(exc)] to be his messengers. [He has enabled us to tell people the message] about the new agreement [that he is making with them]. This is not a [message about obeying all the] written laws [of his old agreement that he made with the Jewish people]. Instead, [it is a message about God giving us his] Spirit. [Previously, God condemned people to be] separated from him forever [if they did not obey his laws]. But by [God’s new agreement] his Spirit enables people to live [eternally].
C'est lui qui nous a rendus capables d'être ministres de la nouvelle alliance, non celle de la lettre, mais celle de l'Esprit; car la lettre tue, mais l'Esprit vivifie.
7 [Moses] taught [the people that if they did not obey God’s laws completely they would be] separated from God forever. [God] wrote [his laws] on stone [slabs. Then he gave them to Moses to teach them to the people. Although God’s laws condemned the people] to die, [when Moses brought those laws down from Sinai Mountain, God caused Moses’ face to shine] Moses’ face to shine radiantly [to show the people that these laws were God’s laws. It shone]. so brightly that the people of Israel could not keep looking at Moses’ face. [They had to look away]. But the brightness was slowly fading away.
Or, si le ministère de la mort, gravé en lettres sur des pierres, a été si glorieux que les enfants d'Israël ne pouvaient arrêter leurs regards sur le visage de Moïse, à cause de l'éclat, pourtant passager, de ce visage,
8 [So], [since God showed in such a wonderful way that those laws that condemned the people to die were from him], surely when we [(exc)] teach [people about how God’s] Spirit will [change their lives], [God will show] in an even more wonderful way [that] it is [his message.] [RHQ]
— combien le ministère de l'Esprit ne sera-t-il pas plus glorieux encore!
9 The message [that Moses taught them was wonderful, but when people heard] that message, [they realized that they were sinners and that God] would punish them. But God’s message that we [(exc) teach is a] much more wonderful message. We teach people that God will (erase the record of/declare people no longer guilty for) [the sinful things that they have done].
En effet, si le ministère de la condamnation a été glorieux, le ministère de la justice le surpasse de beaucoup en gloire.
10 [The truth is that, although the work of teaching the people to obey God’s laws] was once important, it is not as important now, because [the work of teaching people that God will forgive them and] enable them to live to please him is far more important.
Et même, ce qui fut glorieux dans le premier ministère disparaît devant la gloire bien supérieure du second;
11 Furthermore, [the message that Moses taught was not a lasting message, just like] the brightness on his face was not lasting and soon faded away. But [when God gives his Spirit to people], the wonderful work that [God’s Spirit does in their lives] is much greater [because] it lasts forever.
car, si ce qui devait passer a eu son moment de gloire, combien plus ce qui demeure aura-t-il une gloire impérissable!
12 We [(exc)] know that the message that we teach is a [much more wonderful message than the message that Moses taught]. So we [can preach] boldly.
Ayant donc une telle espérance, nous possédons une grande liberté,
13 We do not [need to put a veil over our faces when we teach people], as Moses did. Moses put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not see that the radiance [on his face] soon faded away. [Similarly, the glory of the old agreement has also faded away].
et nous ne faisons pas comme Moïse, qui mettait un voile sur son visage, afin que les enfants d'Israël n'arrêtassent pas leurs regards sur la fin d'un éclat qui allait passer.
14 But the Israelis stubbornly refused to [understand that the old agreement would end]. Even now, when they read the old agreement, [they still do not realize that it has ended. It is as if] [MET] that same veil [that Moses put on his face] is now over their [minds, keeping them from understanding God’s true message]. They will [understand that message] only when [they come to trust] in Christ. Then [it will be as though God] has removed the veil.
Mais leur intelligence a été obscurcie; car, jusqu'à ce jour, quand ils lisent l'Ancien Testament, ce même voile demeure, sans être levé, parce que c'est en Christ seul qu'il peut disparaître.
15 [Throughout all these years], even until now, when [the Israelis] read what Moses [write, it is as though] a veil is covering their minds.
Ainsi, aujourd'hui encore, chaque fois qu'on leur lit Moïse, ce voile est étendu sur leur coeur.
16 But when any of them believes in the Lord [Jesus], [God] removes that veil from them.
Quand ils se convertiront au Seigneur, ce voile sera ôté.
17 [It is by the power of his] Spirit that the Lord [works in our lives], and the Lord’s Spirit has set us free [from trying to obey all the rules and rituals that God gave Moses].
Or, le Seigneur est l'Esprit; et là où est l'Esprit du Seigneur, là est la liberté.
18 [It is as though God] has removed the veil from our faces [MET]. We realize how awesome Jesus is. As we realize that, we are continually being changed {[the Holy Spirit is] continually changing us} to become more and more like Jesus, [so that people can see], more and more, how awesome [Jesus is]. It is the Spirit of the Lord who does [this].
Et nous tous, qui, le visage découvert, contemplons comme dans un miroir la gloire du Seigneur, nous sommes transformés à son image, de gloire en gloire, par l'action de l'Esprit du Seigneur.
