1 Do we seem to be again attempting to put ourselves in the right? or have we need, as some have, of letters of approval to you or from you?
2 You yourselves are our letter, whose writing is in our heart, open for every man's reading and knowledge;
3 For you are clearly a letter of Christ, the fruit of our work, recorded not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in stone, but in hearts of flesh.
4 And this is the certain faith which we have in God through Christ:
5 Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God;
6 Who has made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life.
7 For if the operation of the law, giving death, recorded in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the eyes of the children of Israel had to be turned away from the face of Moses because of its glory, a glory which was only for a time:
8 Will not the operation of the Spirit have a much greater glory?
9 For if the operation of the law, producing punishment, had its glory, how much greater will be the operation of the Spirit causing righteousness?
10 For the glory of the first no longer seems to be glory, because of the greater glory of that which comes after.
11 For if the order which was for a time had its glory, much more will the eternal order have its glory.
12 Having then such a hope, we keep nothing back,
13 And are not like Moses, who put a veil on his face, so that the children of Israel might not see clearly to the end of the present order of things:
14 But their minds were made hard: for to this very day at the reading of the old agreement the same veil is still unlifted; though it is taken away in Christ.
15 But to this day, at the reading of the law of Moses, a veil is over their heart.
16 But when it is turned to the Lord, the veil will be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there the heart is free.
18 But we all, with unveiled face giving back as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
1 难道我们又在自我推荐吗？难道我们像有些人， 要拿荐信给你们， 或向你们拿荐信吗？
2 你们就是我们的荐信， 写在我们的心里， 是众人所认识所诵读的，
3 显明你们自己是基督的书信， 是借着我们写成的， 不是用墨， 而是用永活 神的灵写的； 不是写在石版上， 而是写在心版上。
4 我们在 神面前， 借着基督才有这样的信心。
5 我们不敢以为自己有资格作什么， 我们所能够作的是出于 神。
6 他使我们有资格作新约的仆役， 这新约不是从仪文来的， 而是从圣灵来的； 因为仪文会使人死， 而圣灵却使人活。
7 如果那以文字刻在石上使人死的律法的工作， 尚且带有荣光， 以致以色列人因着摩西脸上短暂的荣光， 不能注视他的脸，
8 那出于圣灵的工作不是更有荣光吗？
9 如果那定人有罪的工作尚且有荣光， 那使人称义的工作就更有荣光了！
10 那从前有荣光的， 现在因那超越的荣光， 就算不得有荣光；
11 如果那短暂的有荣光， 那长存的就更有荣光了。
12 所以， 我们既然有这样的盼望， 就大大地放胆行事，
13 不像摩西那样， 把帕子蒙在脸上， 使以色列人看不见那短暂的荣光的结局。
14 但是他们的心思迟钝， 因为直到今日， 他们诵读旧约的时候， 这帕子仍然存在， 没有揭开， 唯有在基督里才能把这帕子废掉。
15 可是直到今日， 他们每逢诵读摩西的书的时候， 这帕子还盖在他们的心上。
16 但他们什么时候归向主， 这帕子就什么时候除掉了。
17 主就是那灵； 主的灵在哪里， 哪里就有自由。
18 我们众人脸上的帕子既然已经揭开， 反映主的荣光（"反映主的荣光"或译： "对着镜子看见主的荣光"）， 就变成主那样的形象， 大有荣光。这是主所作成的， 他就是那灵。