1Are we to begin to recommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?

2You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men,

3making it obvious that you are a letter of Messiah, served by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living Elohim, not on tablets of stone but on fleshly tablets of the heart.

4And such trust we have toward Elohim, through the Messiah.

5Not that we are competent in ourselves to reckon any matter as from ourselves, but our competence is from Elohim,

6who also made us competent as servants of a renewed covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

7But if the administering of death in letters, engraved on stones, was esteemed, so that the children of Yisra’ĕl were unable to look steadily at the face of Mosheh because of the esteem of his face, which was passing away,

8how much more esteemed shall the administering of the Spirit not be?

9For if the administering of condemnation had esteem, the administering of righteousness exceeds much more in esteem.

10For indeed what was made esteemed had no esteem in this respect, in view of the esteem that excels.

11For if that which is passing away was esteemed, much more that which remains in esteem.

12Having then such expectation, we use much boldness of speech,

13and not like Mosheh, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Yisra’ĕl should not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

14But their minds were hardened, for to this day, when the old covenant is being read, that same veil remains, not lifted, because in Messiah it is taken away.

15But to this day, when Mosheh is being read, a veil lies on their heart.

16And when one turns to the Master, the veil is taken away.

17Now יהוה is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of יהוה is, there is freedom.

18And we all, as with unveiled face we see as in a mirror the esteem of יהוה, are being transformed into the same likeness from esteem to esteem, as from יהוה, the Spirit.