2 karinthinaH 3
1 vayaM kim AtmaprazaMsanaM punarArabhAmahE? yuSmAn prati yuSmattO vA parESAM kESAnjcid ivAsmAkamapi kiM prazaMsApatrESu prayOjanam AstE?
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
2 yUyamEvAsmAkaM prazaMsApatraM taccAsmAkam antaHkaraNESu likhitaM sarvvamAnavaizca jnjEyaM paThanIyanjca|
You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.
3 yatO 'smAbhiH sEvitaM khrISTasya patraM yUyapEva, tacca na masyA kintvamarasyEzvarasyAtmanA likhitaM pASANapatrESu tannahi kintu kravyamayESu hRtpatrESu likhitamiti suspaSTaM|
It is clear 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.
4 khrISTEnEzvaraM pratyasmAkam IdRzO dRPhavizvAsO vidyatE;
Such confidence before God is ours through Christ.
5 vayaM nijaguNEna kimapi kalpayituM samarthA iti nahi kintvIzvarAdasmAkaM sAmarthyaM jAyatE|
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.
6 tEna vayaM nUtananiyamasyArthatO 'kSarasaMsthAnasya tannahi kintvAtmana Eva sEvanasAmarthyaM prAptAH| akSarasaMsthAnaM mRtyujanakaM kintvAtmA jIvanadAyakaH|
And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 akSarai rvilikhitapASANarUpiNI yA mRtyOH sEvA sA yadIdRk tEjasvinI jAtA yattasyAcirasthAyinastEjasaH kAraNAt mUsasO mukham isrAyElIyalOkaiH saMdraSTuM nAzakyata,
Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,
8 tarhyAtmanaH sEvA kiM tatO'pi bahutEjasvinI na bhavEt?
will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?
9 daNPajanikA sEvA yadi tEjOyuktA bhavEt tarhi puNyajanikA sEvA tatO'dhikaM bahutEjOyuktA bhaviSyati|
For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!
10 ubhayOstulanAyAM kRtAyAm EkasyAstEjO dvitIyAyAH prakharatarENa tEjasA hInatEjO bhavati|
Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it.
11 yasmAd yat lOpanIyaM tad yadi tEjOyuktaM bhavEt tarhi yat cirasthAyi tad bahutaratEjOyuktamEva bhaviSyati|
For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!
12 IdRzIM pratyAzAM labdhvA vayaM mahatIM pragalbhatAM prakAzayAmaH|
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
13 isrAyElIyalOkA yat tasya lOpanIyasya tEjasaH zESaM na vilOkayEyustadarthaM mUsA yAdRg AvaraNEna svamukham AcchAdayat vayaM tAdRk na kurmmaH|
We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at the end of what was fading away.
14 tESAM manAMsi kaThinIbhUtAni yatastESAM paThanasamayE sa purAtanO niyamastEnAvaraNEnAdyApi pracchannastiSThati|
But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed.
15 tacca na dUrIbhavati yataH khrISTEnaiva tat lupyatE| mUsasaH zAstrasya pAThasamayE'dyApi tESAM manAMsi tEnAvaraNEna pracchAdyantE|
And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
16 kintu prabhuM prati manasi parAvRttE tad AvaraNaM dUrIkAriSyatE|
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 yaH prabhuH sa Eva sa AtmA yatra ca prabhOrAtmA tatraiva muktiH|
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 vayanjca sarvvE'nAcchAditEnAsyEna prabhOstEjasaH pratibimbaM gRhlanta AtmasvarUpENa prabhunA rUpAntarIkRtA varddhamAnatEjOyuktAM tAmEva pratimUrttiM prApnumaH|
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
