| 1 | Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from you? |
| 2 | Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; |
| 3 | being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables [that are] hearts of flesh. |
| 4 | And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: |
| 5 | not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; |
| 6 | who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. |
| 7 | But if the ministration of death, written, [and] engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which [glory] was passing away: |
| 8 | how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory? |
| 9 | For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. |
| 10 | For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. |
| 11 | For if that which passeth away [was] with glory, much more that which remaineth [is] in glory. |
| 12 | Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, |
| 13 | and [are] not as Moses, [who] put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away: |
| 14 | but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed [to them] that it is done away in Christ. |
| 15 | But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. |
| 16 | But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. |
| 17 | Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. |
| 18 | But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. |
