| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation 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 epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; | 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. |
| 3clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. | 3You show that you are Christ's letter, delivered by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God--not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. |
| 4And we have such trust through Christ toward God. | 4Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. |
| 5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, | 5It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. |
| 6who also made us sufficient as ministers of the 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 gives life. |
| 7But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, | 7Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses's face because of its glory, which was set aside, |
| 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? | 8how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? |
| 9For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. | 9For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. |
| 10For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. | 10In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. |
| 11For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. | 11For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious. |
| 12Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— | 12Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness. |
| 13unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. | 13We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, |
| 14But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. | 14but their minds were hardened. 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 even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. | 15Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, |
| 16Nevertheless when one 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 by the Spirit of the Lord. | 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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