Are we beginning to ^acommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^bletters of commendation to you or from you? 2 ^aYou are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all people, 3 revealing yourselves, that you are a letter of Christ, ^1adelivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^bthe living God, not on ^ctablets of stone but on ^dtablets of ^2ehuman hearts.

4 Such is the ^aconfidence we have toward God through Christ. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves so as to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but ^aour adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as ^aservants of a ^bnew covenant, not of ^cthe letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^dthe Spirit gives life.

7 But if the ^aministry of death, engraved ^bin letters on stones, came ¹with glory ^cso that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if ^athe ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^bministry of righteousness excel in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory in this case has no glory, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was ¹with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

12 ^aTherefore, having such a hope, ^bwe use great boldness in our speech, 13 and we are not like Moses, ^awho used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not stare at the end of what was fading away. 14 But their minds were ^ahardened; for until this very day at the ^breading of ^cthe old covenant the same veil ¹remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts; 16 ^abut whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^athe Spirit of the Lord is, ^bthere is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled faces, ^alooking as in a mirror at the ^bglory of the Lord, are being ^ctransformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^dthe Lord, the Spirit.

Are we beginning to ^acommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, ^bletters of commendation to you or from you? 2 ^aYou are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, ^aministered to by us, having been written not with ink but with the Spirit of ^bthe living God, not on ^ctablets of stone but on ^dtablets of hearts of ^eflesh.

4 And such ^aconfidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but ^aour sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ^aministers of a ^bnew covenant, not of ^cthe letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but ^dthe Spirit gives life.

7 But if the ^aministry of death, ^bin letters having been engraved on stones, came ¹with glory, ^cso that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more in glory? 9 For if ^athe ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ^bministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had been glorious, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which was being brought to an end was ¹with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

12 ^aTherefore having such a hope, ^bwe use great boldness, 13 and are not like Moses, ^awho used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the consequence of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were ^ahardened; for until this very day at the ^breading of ^cthe old covenant the same veil ¹remains unlifted, because it is brought to an end in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, 16 but ^aWHENEVER a person TURNS TO THE ¹LORD, THE VEIL IS TAKEN AWAY. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where ^athe Spirit of the Lord is, ^bthere is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, ^abeholding as in a mirror the ^bglory of the Lord, are being ^ctransformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from ^dthe Lord, the Spirit.