1 Are we beginning to 1commendourselvesagain? Or do we need, as some, 2letters of commendation to you or from you?
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3You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by allmen;
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being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, 4cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of 5the livingGod, not on 6tablets of stone but on 7tablets of 8humanhearts.
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Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consideranything as coming from ourselves, but 10our adequacy is from God,
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whoalsomade us adequate as 11servants of a 12newcovenant, not of 13the letter but of the Spirit; for the letterkills, but 14the Spiritgiveslife.
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But if the 15ministry of death, 16in lettersengraved on stones, came with glory, 17so that the sons of Israelcould not lookintently at the face of Mosesbecause of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
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how will the ministry of the Spiritfail to be even more with glory?
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For if18the ministry of condemnation has glory, muchmore does the 19ministry of righteousnessabound in glory.
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For indeed what hadglory, in thiscasehasnoglorybecause of the glory that surpasses it.
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For if that which fadesaway was with glory, muchmore that which remains is in glory.
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20Thereforehavingsuch a hope, 21we usegreatboldness in our speech,
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and are not likeMoses, 22who used to put a veilover his faceso that the sons of Israel would not lookintently at the end of what was fadingaway.
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But their minds were 23hardened; for untilthisveryday at the 24reading of 25the oldcovenant the sameveilremainsunlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
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But to thisdaywhenever*Moses is read, a veilliesover their heart;
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26but whenever* a person turns to the Lord, the veil is takenaway.
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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where27the Spirit of the Lord is, 28there is liberty.
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But we all, with unveiledface, 29beholding as in a mirror the 30glory of the Lord, are being 31transformed into the sameimage from glory to glory, just as from 32the Lord, the Spirit.