¶ Do we begin¹ again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles² of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

Ye are³ our epistle written in⁴ our hearts, known⁵ and read of all men:

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle⁶ of Christ ministered⁷ by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living⁸ God; not⁹ in tables of stone, but¹⁰ in fleshy tables of the heart.

And such¹¹ trust have we through Christ to God-ward¹²:

Not that¹³ we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but¹⁴ our sufficiency is of God;

¶ Who also hath¹⁵ made us able ministers of the new¹⁶ testament; not¹⁷ of the letter, but of the spirit: for¹⁸ the letter killeth, but the¹⁹ spirit giveth life²⁰.

But if the ministration²¹ of death, written²² and engraven in stones, was²³ glorious, so that²⁴ the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which²⁵ glory was to be done away:

How shall not the ministration²⁶ of the spirit be rather glorious?

For if the ministration of condemnation²⁷ be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness²⁸ exceed²⁹ in glory.

¶ For even that which was made glorious had³⁰ no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

For if³¹ that which is done away was glorious, much³² more that which remaineth is glorious.

¶ Seeing then that we have such hope, we use³³ great plainness³⁴ of speech:

And not as Moses, which³⁵ put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not³⁶ stedfastly look to the³⁷ end of that which is abolished:

But their³⁸ minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail³⁹ is done away in Christ.

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail⁴⁰ is upon their heart.

Nevertheless when⁴¹ it shall turn to the Lord, the vail⁴² shall be taken away.

Now the Lord⁴³ is that Spirit: and where⁴⁴ the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

But we all, with⁴⁵ open face beholding as in⁴⁶ a glass the glory⁴⁷ of the Lord, are⁴⁸ changed into the same image from⁴⁹ glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord⁵⁰.