3Verse 1(Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you,+or commendation from you?Verse 2You are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by all men;Verse 3you are manifestly a letter of Christ, mediated by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God,+not on stone tablets but on ‘tablets’ that are hearts of flesh.)
Competent ministers
Verse 4Now we have such confidence before God because of the Christ;Verse 5not that we are competent of ourselves to reckon anything as being from ourselves, but our competence is from God+—Verse 6indeed, He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant;+not of letter but of Spirit, because the letter kills, while the Spirit gives life.+
A greater glory
Verse 7Now if the ministry of death, engraved in letters on stones, came with glory—so that the children of Israel could not gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance (that was fading)—Verse 8how can the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?Verse 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!Verse 10Because what had glory could actually be said to be without glory, compared to the surpassing glory—Verse 11if what is being set aside had glory, that which is continuing is much more glorious.+Verse 12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we use great boldness of speech—Verse 13not like Moses, who put a veil over his own face, so that the children of Israel would not observe the end of what was fading.+Verse 14But, it was their minds that were closed, because to this day that very veil remains in place when the Old Testament is read, since only in Christ is it taken away.Verse 15Yes, even to this day, when Moses is read a veil lies on their heart.Verse 16However, whenever anyone turns to the Lord the veil is removed.+Verse 17Now the Spirit is the Lord,+and where the Lord's Spirit is there is freedom.+Verse 18So we all, contemplating as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with unveiled face,+are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, precisely from Lord Spirit.+