1 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some do, letters of commendation to you or from you?
2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men.
3 It is known that you are a letter of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh that are of the heart.
4 We have such confidence through Christ toward God.
5 We are not adequate by ourselves to account for anything. Our adequacy is from God.
6 He also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant. This is a covenant not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 The ministry of death was written and engraved on stones. Glory came with it so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly upon the face of Moses. And this glory was passing away.
8 How shall the ministry of the Spirit not be with glory?
9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory then the ministry of righteousness would exceed in glory.
10 Even what was glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the greater glory.
11 If that which passes away was with glory, that which remains is even more glorious.
12 Since we have such a hope we use great boldness of speech.
13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look steadily on the end of that which was passing away:
14 Their minds were blinded. Until this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It is not revealed to them that Christ voided it.
15 But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their heart.
16 When one turns to God, the veil is taken away.
17 Now God is the Spirit and where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty freedom.
18 We all, with unveiled face, behold as in a mirror the glory of God and are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, exactly as from Gods Spirit.