¹Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Do we really need, as some do, commendatory epistles to be sent to you, or commendations from you? ²You are our epistle, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by all men. ³You are manifested that you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, but on tablets which are fleshly hearts. ⁴And we have such confidence through Christ in God. ⁵Not that we are qualified to credit anything as being of ourselves, but our qualification is from God, ⁶who has also qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of a letter but of spirit. For the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. ⁷But if the ministry of death, engraved in letters on stones, was in glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look straight at Moses' face, because of the glory of his face – a glory to be abolished – ⁸how much more will the ministry of the spirit be in glory! ⁹For if the ministry of condemnation is glory, how much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory! ¹⁰For indeed, that which has been glorified has not been glorified in this respect, because of the exceeding glory. ¹¹For if that which is being abolished was with glory, how much more will that which remains be in glory! ¹²Having therefore such a hope, we make use of much freedom of speech, ¹³and are not as Moses, who put a covering on his face in order that the sons of Israel should not look straight at the result of that which is being abolished. ¹⁴But their thoughts were hardened. For up to today the same covering remains unremoved at the reading of the old covenant, it being a covering which is being abolished in Christ. ¹⁵But up to today, when Moses is read, a covering lies over their heart. ¹⁶But when it turns to the Lord, the covering will be removed. ¹⁷And the Lord is the spirit; where the spirit of the Lord is, there there is freedom. ¹⁸But we all with uncovered face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, such as comes from the spirit of the Lord.