The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

⭑ Unlocked Literal Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 3 -

Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? We do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, like some people, do we?

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, known and read by all people.

And you show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us. It was written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God. It was not written on polished tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

And this is the confidence that we have in God through Christ.

We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Instead, our competence is from God.

It is God who made us able to be servants 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.

The Glory of the New Covenant

(Exodus 34:10–35)

Now the service that produced death-engraved in letters on stones-came in such glory that the people of Israel could not look directly at Moses’ face. This is because of the glory of his face, a glory that was fading.

How much more glorious will be the service that the Spirit does?

For if the service of condemnation had glory, how much more does the service of righteousness abound in glory!

For indeed, that which was once made glorious is no longer glorious in this respect, because of the glory that exceeds it.

For if that which was passing away had glory, how much more will what is permanent have glory!

Since we have such confidence, we are very bold.

We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the people of Israel were not able to look directly at the ending of a glory that was passing away.

But their minds were closed. Even until this very day the same veil remains on the reading of the old covenant. It is not opened up, because only in Christ is it done away with.

But even today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts.

But when a person turns to the Lord, the veil is lifted away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Now all of us, with unveiled faces, see the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed into the same glorious likeness from one degree of glory into another, just as from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men,

being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God,

not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God,

who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The Glory of the New Covenant

(Exodus 34:10–35)

But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away,

won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory?

For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.

For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face so that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.

But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.

But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.