3 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from you? ² Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; ³ being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. ⁴ And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: ⁵ not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. ⁷ But if the ministration of death, ^[a]written, and engraven on stones, came ^[b]with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory ^[c]was passing away: ⁸ how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory? ^9 [d]For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. ¹⁰ For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. ¹¹ For if that which ^[e]passeth away was ^[f]with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.

¹² Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, ¹³ and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly ^[g]on the end of that which ^[h]was passing away: ¹⁴ but their ^[i]minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil ^[j]remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. ¹⁵ But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. ¹⁶ But whensoever ^[k]it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face ^[l]beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.