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Chapter 3
Ministers of a New Covenant
1
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or vvv do we need, like some [people], letters of recommendation to you or from you?
Ἀρχόμεθα συνιστάνειν ἑαυτοὺς πάλιν ἢ μὴ χρῄζομεν ὥς τινες ἐπιστολῶν συστατικῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐξ ὑμῶν Archometha synistanein heautous palin ē mē chrēzomen hōs tines epistolōn systatikōn pros hymas ē ex hymōn — NA/TR · 1
2
You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone…
ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἡμῶν ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἐνγεγραμμένη ἐν ἡμῶν ταῖς καρδίαις γινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων hymeis este hēmōn hē epistolē engegrammenē en hēmōn tais kardiais ginōskomenē kai anaginōskomenē hypo pantōn anthrōpōn — NA/TR · 2
3
It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry…, written not with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν ἐνγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι ζῶντος Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλ’ ἐν πλαξὶν σαρκίναις καρδίαις phaneroumenoi hoti este epistolē Christou diakonētheisa hyph’ hēmōn engegrammenē ou melani alla Pneumati zōntos Theou ouk en plaxin lithinais all’ en plaxin sarkinais kardiais — NA/TR · 3
4
- Such confidence before God is ours through Christ.
δὲ τοιαύτην Πεποίθησιν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν ἔχομεν διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ de toiautēn Pepoithēsin pros ton Theon echomen dia tou Christou — NA/TR · 4
5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything [comes] from us, but our competence [comes] from God.
οὐχ ὅτι ἐσμεν ἱκανοί ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἀλλ’ ἡμῶν ἡ ἱκανότης ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ouch hoti esmen hikanoi aph’ heautōn logisasthai ti hōs ex heautōn all’ hēmōn hē hikanotēs ek tou Theou — NA/TR · 5
6
And He has qualified us [as] ministers of a new covenant, not of [the] letter but of [the] Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
καὶ ὃς ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης οὐ γράμματος ἀλλὰ πνεύματος γὰρ τὸ γράμμα ἀποκτέννει δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ kai hos hikanōsen hēmas diakonous kainēs diathēkēs ou grammatos alla pneumatos gar to gramma apoktennei de to pneuma zōopoiei — NA/TR · 6
The Glory of the New Covenant
7
Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with {such} glory that the vvv Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of vvv vvv [its] fleeting glory,
δὲ Εἰ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐντετυπωμένη ἐν γράμμασιν λίθοις ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ ὥστε τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ δύνασθαι μὴ ἀτενίσαι εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοῦ προσώπου τὴν καταργουμένην δόξαν de Ei hē diakonia tou thanatou entetypōmenē en grammasin lithois egenēthē en doxē hōste tous huious Israēl dynasthai mē atenisai eis to prosōpon Mōuseōs dia tēn tou autou prosōpou tēn katargoumenēn doxan — NA/TR · 7
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- will not the ministry of the Spirit {be} even more vvv glorious?
πῶς ἔσται οὐχὶ ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος μᾶλλον ἐν δόξῃ pōs estai ouchi hē diakonia tou pneumatos mallon en doxē — NA/TR · 8
9
For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more… glorious {is} the ministry of righteousness!
γὰρ εἰ τῇ διακονία τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει δόξῃ ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης gar ei tē diakonia tēs katakriseōs doxa pollō mallon perisseuei doxē hē diakonia tēs dikaiosynēs — NA/TR · 9
10
Indeed…, what was once glorious vvv has no glory now in - comparison to… the glory [that] surpasses [it].
καὶ γὰρ τὸ δεδοξασμένον οὐ δεδόξασται ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς δόξης ὑπερβαλλούσης kai gar to dedoxasmenon ou dedoxastai en toutō tō merei heineken tēs doxēs hyperballousēs — NA/TR · 10
11
For if what was fading away [came] with glory, how much greater… [is the] glory of that which endures!
γὰρ εἰ τὸ καταργούμενον διὰ δόξης πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν δόξῃ τὸ μένον gar ei to katargoumenon dia doxēs pollō mallon en doxē to menon — NA/TR · 11
12
Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
οὖν Ἔχοντες τοιαύτην ἐλπίδα χρώμεθα πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ oun Echontes toiautēn elpida chrōmetha pollē parrēsia — NA/TR · 12
13
[We are] not like Moses, [who] would put a veil over his face to keep the vvv Israelites [from] gazing at the end of what was fading away.
καὶ οὐ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ μὴ τὸ ἀτενίσαι εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου kai ou kathaper Mōusēs etithei kalymma epi autou to prosōpon pros tous huious Israēl mē to atenisai eis to telos tou katargoumenou — NA/TR · 13
14
But their minds were closed. For to [this] day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. vvv It has not been lifted, [because] only in Christ can it be removed.
Ἀλλὰ αὐτῶν τὰ νοήματα ἐπωρώθη γὰρ ἄχρι τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας τὸ αὐτὸ κάλυμμα μένει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται Alla autōn ta noēmata epōrōthē gar achri tēs sēmeron hēmeras to auto kalymma menei epi tē anagnōsei tēs palaias diathēkēs mē anakalyptomenon hoti en Christō katargeitai — NA/TR · 14
15
And even to this day when… Moses is read, a veil covers… their hearts.
ἀλλ’ ἕως σήμερον ἡνίκα ἂν Μωϋσῆς ἀναγινώσκηται κάλυμμα κεῖται ἐπὶ αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν all’ heōs sēmeron hēnika an Mōusēs anaginōskētai kalymma keitai epi autōn tēn kardian — NA/TR · 15
16
But whenever… [anyone] turns to [the] Lord, the veil is taken away.
δὲ ἡνίκα ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς Κύριον τὸ κάλυμμα περιαιρεῖται de hēnika ean epistrepsē pros Kyrion to kalymma periaireitai — NA/TR · 16
17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of [the] Lord [is], [there is] freedom.
δὲ Ὁ Κύριος ἐστιν τὸ Πνεῦμά δὲ οὗ τὸ Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐλευθερία de Ho Kyrios estin to Pneuma de hou to Pneuma Kyriou eleutheria — NA/TR · 17
18
And we, [who] with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of [the] Lord, are being transformed into [His] image vvv vvv vvv with intensifying glory, which comes from [the] Lord, [who is the] Spirit.
δὲ ἡμεῖς ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ πάντες κατοπτριζόμενοι τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου μεταμορφούμεθα τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν καθάπερ ἀπὸ Κυρίου Πνεύματος de hēmeis anakekalymmenō prosōpō pantes katoptrizomenoi tēn doxan Kyriou metamorphoumetha tēn autēn eikona apo doxēs eis doxan kathaper apo Kyriou Pneumatos — NA/TR · 18