1. Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we, as some, need commendatory letters to you, or commendatory ones from you?
2. You are our letter, having been inscribed in our hearts, being known and being read by all men,
3. it having been made plain that you are Christ's letter, served by us, not having been inscribed by ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not in tablets of stone, but in fleshly tablets of the heart.
4. And we have such confidence through Christ toward God;
5. not that we are sufficient of ourselves to reason out anything as being out of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
6. who also made us able ministers of a new covenant, not of letter, but of Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.
7. But if the ministry of death having been engraved in letters in stone was with glory, so as that the sons of Israel could not gaze into "the face of Moses" because of the glory of his face, which was to cease, Ex. 34:34
8. how much rather the ministry of the Spirit will be in glory!
9. For if the ministry of condemnation was glory, much rather the ministry of righteousness abounds in glory.
10. For even that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, because of the surpassing glory.
11. For if the thing done away was through glory, much rather the thing remaining is in glory.
12. Then having such hope, we use much boldness.
13. And not as "Moses, who put a veil over his face," for the sons of Israel not to gaze at the end of the thing being done away. Ex. 34:35
14. But their thoughts were hardened, for until the present time the same veil remains on the reading of the Old Covenant, not being unveiled, that it is being done away in Christ.
15. But until today, when Moses is being read, a veil lies on their heart.
16. But whenever it turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Ex. 34:34
17. And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18. But we all with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord Spirit.