| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? | 1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? |
| 2You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; | 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone. |
| 3being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. | 3It is clear that you are Christ's letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God--not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh. |
| 4Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. | 4We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ. |
| 5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, | 5It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. |
| 6who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. | 6He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life. |
| 7But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, | 7Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face--a fading glory-- |
| 8how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? | 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? |
| 9For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. | 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. |
| 10For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. | 10In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. |
| 11For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. | 11For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious. |
| 12Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, | 12Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness. |
| 13and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. | 13We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not stare at the end of what was fading away, |
| 14But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. | 14but their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. |
| 15But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; | 15Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, |
| 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. | 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. |
| 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. | 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. |
| 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. | 18We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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